


Strictly Forbidden

by MidnightAngel30



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, F/M, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-30
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-13 04:25:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/499453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightAngel30/pseuds/MidnightAngel30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elena is starting her Freshman year at Mystic Falls University. What happens when she falls for her History teacher? Especially when there is a strict rule against students and teachers dating. AU/AH.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving In

So…this was it. The big day where she left the home her and Jeremy had been living in for the past two years with their Aunt and went off on her own. It was college move-in day.

Elena had said her goodbyes to Jenna and Jeremy this morning, driving the fairly boring three-hour drive to get to Mystic Falls University afterward. Jeremy only had one more year before he went off to college, but until then, he needed someone to look out for him while Elena was away. So Jenna had said there was no choice in the matter. She was going to stay with him for as long as he needed her. It was one of the things Elena loved about her Aunt.

The school was kind of small. Unfortunately, all of her friends from high school didn't want to go to a college that was just as small as her old school had been. Even her best friend, Bonnie, had gone all the way to Florida. The warm weather and beaches sounded perfect right now. Especially considering it was about to rain. Elena felt the first drop on her shoulder, quickly gathering her stuff and walking briskly to her building.

Her dorm was room 4726…of course it would be all the way on the fourth floor. At least the buildings were nice though, they all looked as if they had just been redone. She quickly walked in through the entrance just as she heard thunder pound outside and the rain fall harder. Thankfully, there weren't classes until tomorrow. So going out in this storm was something she didn't have to think about.

The elevator was in perfect working condition, so reaching the fourth floor wasn't difficult for her. The hallways were pretty empty, since most students were either touring campus or decorating their dorm rooms. She continued down the hall until she finally reached a maroon door that had the golden numbers of her dorm room on it. From outside, she could hear loud music playing from inside the room. Her brows furrowed together as she slowly opened the unlocked door. Inside, a bouncy little blond haired girl was dancing around to some girl band that was playing through her stereo speakers.

Elena's eyes widened and a smile appeared on her lips as she knocked on the wall nearby. It was loud enough for the other girl to hear and she turned her head, jumping a little in surprise. She pranced over to her stereo to turn the music off.

"Hi!" The girl said enthusiastically.

"Hey."

"So…I'm guessing you're my roommate?"

"Apparently so. I'm assigned to room 4726."

"Then you've come to the right place! My name is Caroline. Caroline Forbes." She grinned, sticking her hand out to Elena.

"I'm Elena Gilbert." Elena smiled and shook the girls hand. Thank god Caroline was nice. One of her biggest fears over the summer had been having a roommate she couldn't stand. The other girl had potential to be a really good friend.

"Nice to meet you, Elena! Have you checked out the campus yet? It looks so quaint and homey to me."

"I haven't had the chance yet," she sighed as she put her stuff on the side opposite Caroline, "it started pouring outside as I got here."

Caroline looked outside the window, shocked as she saw how hard it was raining. "Well I guess it is. I couldn't hear from the music."

Elena chuckled and began unpacking her stuff. The dorm room was a pretty nice place. It was just big enough to give the two girls enough space. They had their own bathroom, so there would be no community shower for her. They had a small closet space that the girls would share and each of them had a desk and a dresser on their side. The bed sheets were maroon for the school colors. It wasn't a bad set-up at all. About halfway through unpacking her clothes, Caroline took a break from hanging her pictures to turn around and face Elena.

"So what classes do you have? We might get lucky and have a couple together." Caroline jumped onto her bed, pulling her schedule out of her oversized purse.

"Just general classes mostly. English, History, Math, Speech, and Italian." Elena had always wanted to speak Italian, but high school had never offered it. They were all general classes because she still hadn't decided on a major. It was scary not knowing what she wanted to do, but wasn't college the time to figure all of that out anyway? Experience things and experiment? The year held promise, and it was still a while before she had to pick something to major in anyway.

"Well we could possibly have two classes together. Who do you have for English and History?"

"Um…for English I have Martin and for History I have Saltzman."

"Looks like we have English together roomie!" Caroline squealed, clapping her hands together.

Caroline's mouth suddenly formed a big "o" and she ran over and jumped on Elena's bed. The girl looked as if she was about to burst with excitement over what she had to share.

"I almost forgot. I met this sophomore on my tour of campus earlier. His name is Tyler Lockwood. He asked me if I wanted to go to a club near the campus later tonight. I told him I would love to go with him. You could come along if you wanted to. It would be a good chance for you to get out there and talk up those fellas." Caroline winked, a sly little grin playing at her mouth.

"I would hate to intrude on your time with him though."

"Nonsense! In fact, he said something about a friend of his named Matt. I could text Tyler and tell him to invite that guy as well! It would be like a double date!" Caroline squeaked, grabbing her phone in a rush to text Tyler. Elena shook her head, realizing there was no way she was getting out of this. It could be fun though, couldn't it?

* * *

The music pounded against the speakers as the DJ played some dance mix. Caroline and Elena entered the club titled _The Howler_ and headed toward a booth in the back where two boys sat beside each other. Elena could only assume that the two boys were Matt and Tyler. Caroline grinned brightly as she walked over to the two men, waiting for Elena to scoot to the inside of the booth so that she was across from Matt. Caroline continued to stand though, only placing her purse down beside Elena.

"Tyler, will you come dance with me? I'm too hyper to sit right now." Caroline winked and Tyler followed like a little puppy, smiling the entire time. Elena narrowed her eyes at Caroline, who only smiled slyly back at her. She would be getting an earful back in their room.

"Well that was subtle." Matt said from across the booth. Elena couldn't help but laugh.

"I only met Caroline today, but her intentions seem to be in the right place."

"She seems like a sweet girl. I hope Tyler doesn't screw it up."

"He has a bad history with girls?"

"Kind of. Tyler is a good guy and all, but he never keeps a girl for long. His attention span is short."

"Well, let's hope Caroline can get through to him then."

"Sure hope so."

They both laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly. Matt seemed like a nice guy, but she couldn't help noticing he also seemed…distracted. Like his heart wasn't in this little setup tonight.

"Is everything ok, Matt?"

"Me? Yea, yea I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. You know…if you have a girlfriend or something, I would completely understand. I'm only here because Caroline wanted me to go, not because I'm looking for a date."

Matt sighed, realization dawning on his face that he probably couldn't keep up whatever façade he had going.

"Her name is Rebekah. She isn't my girlfriend, but we've kind of been talking. I haven't told Tyler about her yet. I don't want him knowing right now, so that's why I came along. So he wouldn't suspect anything." Matt confessed.

"Then I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," Matt smiled, "You seem like a great girl. If I wasn't talking to Rebekah, I really think we might have had a shot." He spoke genuinely. Elena liked this guy.

"I agree. But, you have your girl, and I don't want to be the cause of a break-up. I think you and I could still be good friends though. I don't really know anyone on campus yet. I got here just as the storm started earlier, so I haven't had a chance to really tour the place."

"I would be honored to be your friend, Elena." Matt gave a bright smile, taking a sip of his water.

Elena grinned back, using the comfortable silence that followed as a chance to look around the club more. It seemed like it was the popular place to be. Caroline and Tyler were out in the middle of the floor, bumping and grinding with the rest of the students to whatever music was blasting over the speakers. This place was honestly just not her kind of hangout. The music was too loud and the people were a little rude. At least the ones she could see at the moment. Not to mention how rowdy they were. It brought some bad memories to mind, ones she quickly shoved away.

There was a couple dancing on the bar, the mans hands were roaming up and down the girl's sides as her hands came up to lay on each side of his face, occasionally running through his raven colored hair. They were a good-looking couple, at least in Elena's opinion. Below them, actually sitting at the bar was a man with a drink in his hand, throwing his head back to ingest the alcohol. He slammed the glass down and got up to dance around by the couple. They looked old to be in a place like this though.

"Hey Matt, does that group over there seem a bit old to be in a place like this? All the kids here look around our age."

"Well, that's because they are older. The man dancing on the ground by the couple is Alaric Saltzman, he's twenty-five years old."

"Saltzman? Doesn't he…"

"Yup, teaches a history class at the university. His buddy dancing on the table, Damon Salvatore, is his roommate. The guy is a dick and a complete party animal. He's only a couple years younger than Saltzman. Both of them are grad students and have an apartment somewhere near the campus. As for the girl, I have no idea who she is."

"How do you know so much about them?"

"Word about Salvatore gets around fast, therefore word about Saltzman does as well. Honestly, I feel bad for him. Man comes here with Damon all the time and dances with a number of girls, but he never leaves with any of them. No clue why though. Seems kind of lonely to me."

"Wonder why." Elena said sarcastically. The man looked positively hammered right now. He hung out at a place with kids who weren't grad students. She wasn't all that surprised that girls didn't want to go home with him. He was just the creepy older guy who would hang out with the undergrads. How was he supposed to even teach a class tomorrow?

Before she had a chance to ponder the matter further, Caroline and Tyler walked back to the booth. Both were breathing heavily as they tried to catch their breath after their dancing. Caroline was all smiles as she sat next to Elena.

"You two should get out there! This place is so much fun!"

"I think I'll pass, Caroline. I may just go back to our room. I'm pretty tired after moving in and I just want to get some sleep before class tomorrow." Elena gave a small smile.

"Well you can't go by yourself! There are creeps out at this time of night, Elena. I'm going with you." Caroline nodded her head as if there would be no discussing the matter and that was final.

The girls said their goodbyes to the boys. Elena gave Matt a heartfelt hug, thanking him for the nice chat. Caroline and Tyler were whispering to each other, but Elena couldn't hear what it was about. After everyone said their farewells, the girls headed back to their dorm. It was late by the time they got back, and Elena's first class was Italian the next morning. Followed by English, and then History. Her classes were kind of late though, at least compared to her high school schedule. Italian didn't start until ten o'clock. English was at eleven, and History was at noon. Now she had the chance to sleep in just a little bit, so maybe she would be able to stay awake in class. Hopefully the day would be eventful. She had already made two friends today. Who knew the people she might meet tomorrow.


	2. Introductions

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ugh.

Alarm.

School.

Elena moaned as she slammed her hand over her obnoxious alarm clock. Nine o'clock in the morning was just too early right now. Even though her previous wake up time used to be six o'clock, after the summer, it just felt like she could use more sleep. She rubbed her eyes, slowly getting out of bed. Caroline was lucky, because from what Elena remembered of her rambling yesterday, her first class was the class she shared with Elena. Which meant about another hour of sleep for her. How lucky. Elena walked into the bathroom to do what would probably become her daily routine. Brush her hair, her teeth, change her clothes, apply a dash of make-up, do her hair however she felt like having it that day. Today, she felt like having it up in a neat ponytail.

She grabbed what books were necessary, stuffing them into her backpack, along with some extra items. Elena liked being prepared for the unexpected. Making sure to take things like tissues, cough drops, gum, hand sanitizer, etc. Her breakfast this morning would consist of a granola bar, a banana, and a bottle of water. Until she knew what it was like in her classes, how long it would take her to get there, etc…it would probably be best to pack light. Caroline let out a loud snore that made Elena chuckle to herself before quietly slipping out of their room.

The walk to her first class, Italian, wasn't too long. It was about a five minute walk from her dorm to the building that housed all the classes for each language. The campus seemed tiny, but there were buildings that were a farther walk than that from her dorm. Her class was on the fifth floor…the elevator would be required. For once, she just wanted a class on the _first_ floor. As the elevator dinged to announce her arrival, she briskly walked out and headed straight for her classroom.

When she entered the room, she headed straight for the back. It was still another ten minutes before the class would actually start. The teacher wasn't even in the room yet. The only ones in the room were her, some girl at the front of the class, and a boy that was in the same row as her with only two seats separating them.

She sneaked a glance over at him, noticing that he was kind of cute. His hair was a mix of brown and blonde, but mostly it was dark. His eyes were a really bright green and he had the most attractive jawline. Not something she would normally notice about a guy. His attire consisted of a leather jacket with a light gray shirt on underneath, and a pair of dark blue jeans. He happened to be stealing glances her way too. He smiled when they finally caught each other staring, getting up from his seat and moving to sit next to her.

"Hello there."

"Hi." She spoke shyly.

"Are you a freshman?"

"I am. You?"

"I am as well. Looks like we have something in common already." He gave her a dazzling smile. His teeth were so white!

"That's reassuring." She giggled.

"Stefan Salvatore." He extended his hand.

"Elena Gilbert."

"Pleasure to meet you, Elena Gilbert. Before you ask by the way…yes. I am Damon's brother."

"I thought your last name sounded familiar. You seem nothing like him though."

"I take it you've had the pleasure of meeting him then?"

"No, just saw him at The Howler last night. He seems…outgoing."

"That's putting it mildly," he scoffed, "I like to keep my business private. I don't want people knowing about my personal life."

"That's understandable. I wouldn't want my life out there for everybody to judge. How do you keep it so secret? Someone told me that Damon's roommate gets a lot of attention just because he does. You're his brother…so how do you get out of that?"

"I know things." He smirked, apparently set on keeping that a secret.

"Ok then. Next question…"

Before she got a chance to ask it though, the teacher came walking into the classroom. Elena hadn't even realized that most of the class was still not here. A few more students had walked in since she had arrived, but not _that_ much more. Maybe this class was just small.

"Ciao, e benvenuto italiana 101. Lo sono il tuo insegnante, Signore Cooper. Abbiamo molto da discutere questa classe quindi cerchiamo di iniziare," said the teacher.

Well that didn't mean a thing to her. Stefan chuckled beside her.

"Did you understand any of that?" She asked.

"All of it. Parents moved here from Italy before Damon and I were born. Taught the both of us growing up, therefore, we're both fluent in the language."

"Why are you in an introductory class then?"

"Easy credit. I have other classes to worry about. I'm not above taking an easy class to help with the work load of my others."

Looked as if Stefan was no idiot. She smiled. At least if she had trouble in this class, there was someone that would be able to tutor her.

"Oh that's right, you all are little freshmen. You don't know a thing I just said," the teacher tapped his chin, narrowing his eyes while he feigned contemplation; "I guess I'll have to just speak in English for this class. For…well, everyone…I said 'Hello, and welcome to Italian 101. I am your teacher, Mr. Cooper. We have a lot to discuss this class so let's get started.' I would also like it if you all called me Signore Cooper."

Elena smiled. At least her teacher seemed pretty cool. That had to be a plus. Signore Cooper started in on the lesson while her and Stefan would whisper to each other every now and then. At least her first class of the day was enjoyable. Hopefully the others would be as well.

* * *

After forty-five minutes, Elena bid farewell to Stefan, walking to English by herself. She had hoped that since it was the first day, her classes would be cut a little shorter than usual. Signore Cooper had made sure to go the entire length provided for him though. Hopefully her next two would be much different than that. Her stomach was already starting to growl. The student center had some food that she could buy, but it was probably better to wait for Caroline. She'd be upset if she found out Elena went to eat without her.

She did make sure to take her time getting to the building. There was about fifteen minutes to spare before English started. However, there wasn't a whole lot to do. The English building was close to where she just came from. Not even a three minute walk. This time, her class was on the third floor. The elevator was broken in this one too. It had to happen at some point. She took the stairs to the classroom.

Apparently, Caroline had beaten her to the almost empty room. No one but Caroline occupied it. Elena sat down beside her, both of them in the back corner.

"You're earlier than I thought you would be."

"It's my first class. I didn't want to be late."

"No worries of that." Elena giggled, Caroline soon joining her.

"Can we get something to eat after this? I'm hungry."

"Me too! All I had this morning was a small bagel." Caroline pouted.

"Well then let's hope Martin let's us out early."

The girls sat and talked until eleven, when the majority of the students and Mr. Martin walked in. He went over everything fairly quickly. He was aware of the first day attention spans of the students. All they talked about was what their first class novel would be. Mr. Martin gave three choices for the class. Choice one was Shakespeare's _Macbeth_ , the second choice was _Jane Eyre_ by Charlotte Bronte, and the third was _The Moonstone_ by Wilkie Collins. Since the majority of the class happened to be girls, it was decided that _Jane Eyre_ would be the novel for the time being. Mr. Martin told them to be sure to pick up a copy before their next class, and then he dismissed everyone. They had been in class for a total of thirty minutes.

Elena and Caroline giggled with excitement once they were outside of the building, glad to have been released early from their classroom prison. Even if it was only an extra fifteen minutes. They walked to the student center so they could have lunch in the food court. It was not exactly the size of a mall's food court, but it had a good selection. Elena got a slice of pizza and a diet soda. Caroline got a salad and some water. The two of them sat down at a table near the window, happy to finally be getting a chance to eat.

"So, where are you going after this?" Elena asked after she had swallowed a bite of her pizza.

"Art. Then I have History. I was wrong by the way. I thought I didn't have Saltzman, but I do. Doesn't matter anyway since we have our classes at different times, but for some reason I thought if we had the same teacher, we'd be in the same class."

"Well, your theory worked for one class." Elena chuckled.

"Very true. I'm glad it did work too. I'm not sure I could handle _Jane Eyre_ of all books by myself."

"I've always wanted to read it honestly. It's a classic."

"Classic or not, I'd rather just catch the movie. I would prefer reading _Twilight_. I'm already halfway through it!"

"Caroline! You read that?"

"Team Edward all the way. There's just something about vampires that make them so…alluring. Sexy too." She grinned, taking a bite of her salad.

"I'm going to have to widen your reading selection then. Most vampires don't sparkle."

"You do that. I still have three more books in the series to read before I'm through though. Just keep that in mind. And says you! I don't see why they can't sparkle. I didn't see a set of rules anywhere."

Elena chuckled and shook her head. She checked her watch. Twenty minutes until the next class started. Probably wouldn't hurt to be early. She finished her pizza and stood up, packing away what was left of her drink.

"I have to go. I want to stop by the bookstore before I go to History. See you back in the room later." She smiled and waved goodbye to Caroline, heading in the direction of the bookstore. Her first day of classes was almost over.

* * *

Elena turned the paperback over in her hands, reading the back of the book as she walked into the elevator. How was Caroline not interested in this? There was romance in it. Shouldn't that have been enough to peak her interest? Elena smiled to herself as she walked out of the elevator and onto the fourth floor.

Upon entering the classroom, she realized it was the smallest of her classes that day. The actual room size that is. As usual, she went to the back of the classroom, hoping to go unnoticed as she had in the other classes. About five students including her were there, only ten minutes to go before class officially started. One girl sat at the very front, right in the middle of the classroom. Two students were scattered throughout the middle of the room, and one sat in the back close to her.

The situation reminded her of earlier today. Only it wasn't Stefan who was so close to her. This man had very dark, brown hair. His eyes looked just as dark, but she could swear they were a light brown. He was dressed in khaki pants and a light gray hoodie. Just like Stefan, he too was stealing glances her way, and even moved to sit closer to her. She must be having a good hair day or something.

"Good afternoon." He said smoothly. His voice was like velvet and sounded ever so soft.

"Good afternoon." She attempted to return, just as politely as he had. He had a certain elegance to the way he talked, the way he moved. Elena kind of liked it. Not something you saw on a daily basis.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have introduced myself sooner. Elijah. Elijah Mikaelson."

"I'm Elena Gilbert." She smiled, extending her hand. He grinned back, taking her hand to gently place a kiss on it. She couldn't help the blush that appeared on her cheeks after. He was very well mannered.

"It is lovely to meet you, Elena. How has your first day been?"

"It's been pretty good. I'm still getting used to college, but overall it's been nice. How has yours been?"

"It has been as pleasant as school could possibly be. You should let me show you around campus, if you haven't already taken a tour that is."

"I think that would be wonderful, thank you. I guess you've taken a tour already?"

"Oh goodness no. I've been here a couple years already. I could show you places the tour guides probably don't even know exist."

"You're a junior? What are you doing in a freshman history class?"

"I never took my first history class until last year. My freshman schedule was so full, they thought moving it to my sophomore year wouldn't hurt anything. Unfortunately, I was not the best of students last year, and failed this class. So now, I must retake it, since I have yet to receive credit for it."

"So do I have to watch you now and make sure you do all of your work?" Elena raised an eyebrow, smirking as she did.

"That won't be necessary. I've learned my lesson since. Although…I would be honored to have a beautiful woman such as yourself watching out for me." Elijah smiled brightly, giving her a wink. A small blush appeared on her cheeks. Oh…he was good. His gaze fell to the book in her hand.

" _Jane Eyre_? I love that book. How far into it are you?"

"Oh, I just got it. It's for English."

"I see. Well, if you ever wish to discuss it with someone, or need help with a related assignment, feel free to talk with me. I would love to help."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

A man rushed into the classroom before she was able to talk with Elijah further. His hair was a little disheveled from running to class she presumed. He put his briefcase on the desk that was cluttered with papers at the front of the room. His hair seemed to be dark brown, mixed with blonde. He was tall, and wore a dark blue, long sleeved, button up shirt with dark blue jeans. So this must be Alaric Saltzman. The one she saw decently smashed at The Howler last night.

It was weird seeing him in a classroom setting after his party with Damon last night. True, he was only a grad student. Not to mention they were all adults. It's just…shouldn't he be a little more professional? Like not go out the night before he has to teach a class? Elena could see he was dealing with a hangover as he walked into class. He was rubbing his forehead with his hand, his eyes squinting at the pain that was probably throbbing. His expression went back to normal almost instantly though.

"Hey guys. Call me Mr. Saltzman. As I'm sure the most of you know, this is History. If you're not in the right class, I would suggest gettin your ass out of here and to the right one." He smirked, going to the chalkboard and writing his name out.

"I'll make this short and sweet, because I know you all have such important lives to live." He picked up a stack of orange papers and started walking around the classroom to hand them to the students.

"This…is your syllabus. Follow it, worship it, and don't _lose_ it. Do that, and everything will run smoothly, making my job a lot easier." Once he had finished passing out all of the syllabuses, he went back to the front of the room and checked a piece of paper.

"Hmm…I should probably do attendance the first day, shouldn't I? Or…I could make you all do those lame introductions for the class," his face brightened as the class moaned in unison, "yeah, I think that's the more entertaining choice. Tell ya what…after the whole class has introduced themselves…I'll let everybody go. Deal?" The class cheered and clapped.

"Awesome. Ok, we'll just go around the room then, starting at the front. State your first and last name, where you're from, and…I don't know…some kind of fun fact about yourself. Ready? Go!" He smiled and pointed to the girl in the very front of the room before leaning against his desk. It was the one Elena had seen there earlier when she arrived.

"I'm Meredith Fell, I'm from Long Island, New York, and I love cats." She said excitedly, pushing her glasses back up her nose as she did. Meredith struck Elena has a teacher's pet. Got good grades, not many friends. Maybe they would be able to talk sometime. Everyone needed a friend starting out in college.

The students went down the rows, reciting the same things over and over again. It was finally down to Elijah and Elena. He went first, standing up just like every other kid had.

"My name is Elijah Mikaelson, I am from Los Angeles, California, and I used to live in New Zealand until I moved to LA halfway through high school." He smiled, sitting back down. Now it was Elena's turn. She stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind her hair as she did. Presenting to groups sucked, even if it was just about herself.

"I'm Elena Gilbert, I've lived in Mystic Falls my whole life, and my favorite flowers are Lilacs and Cherry Blossoms."

She nodded her head and sat back down. The entire class had finally gone. Alaric uncrossed his arms after a few seconds and clapped his hands together.

"Well, very nice to all of you. I can't promise I'll remember any of your names tomorrow, but that's just how the cookie crumbles. All of you, out. See you on Wednesday."

The class hummed with students talking and chairs squeaking as they left the room quickly. Mr. Saltzman went to sit back down at his desk, rubbing his hands on his forehead again. Elena bit her lower lip. She wasn't exactly proud of his behavior the night before, but she was always one to offer help when possible. Elijah stood beside her.

"Shall I give you that tour now? If your classes are through for the day that is."

"Um…you go on ahead. Maybe we could do the tour Wednesday after class?"

"Sounds wonderful. I shall see you then, Elena." He gave her a warm smile before making his way out of the classroom. Elijah really was a gentleman, and not to mention a cute one. She rummaged through her backpack; suddenly happy she packed those extra little things this morning. She pulled out a couple of aspirins she carried with her in case she got a headache at some point throughout the day.

Elena walked up to Mr. Saltzman and placed the pills on his desk.

"I-uh…saw you at The Howler last night. Figured you needed these more than I do."

Mr. Saltzman opened his eyes and looked up at her, a small smile on his face. Which quickly turned to a groan as the previous night was brought to his attention.

"I didn't make a complete ass of myself last night, did I? And it's probably not proper taking pills from a student. However, my hangover thanks you and tells me to take the damn things." He chuckled popping the pills in his mouth and chugging down some water from his bottle on the desk. Good to know Elena didn't look like a threatening student or anything.

"No problem at all. Glad I was able to help. And no, not completely…only half ass." She smiled, showing him she was only joking. Hopefully he learned his lesson and she wouldn't have to be helping him out again though. He returned her smile, but as she turned to walk away, she stopped when she heard him speak.

"What color?"

Elena turned back around to look at him, a confused look on her face.

"Color?"

"Um, Lilacs. Sorry. What's your favorite color Lilac? Each color has a different meaning. White is symbolic for confidence and youthful innocence, while purple is symbolic for first love. My knowledge of flower meanings is a bit rusty…so you'll have to take that information with a grain of salt obviously."

Elena couldn't help but smile. She thought she was the only one who was curious about that stuff.

"Purple…purple ones are my favorite."

"Huh. Mine too," he said quietly, "let's just keep that between us though. My other students would never let me hear the end of it."

"Of course," she chuckled softly, "see you Wednesday, Mr. Saltzman." Elena smiled and turned around to walk out of the classroom.

"See you then, Elena."

She couldn't help but smile to herself as she walked out the door. Huh. Maybe there was more to Alaric Saltzman than met the eye.


	3. Detective Work

"…so Elijah offered to give me a tour after class, but I told him Wednesday would probably be better."

"You so should have gone with him after class. He sounds like a hottie!"

Caroline giggled as she hugged her pillow to her chest. It was ten o'clock at night and Caroline had insisted they talk about their day together. Elena had to admit that even she was interested in how the blond girl's day had gone. They had only known each other for about a day, but it was hard not to like Caroline. The girl was enthusiastic and extremely friendly. So Elena had found herself agreeing to the pillow talk. She had just finished telling Caroline about meeting Stefan and Elijah earlier.

"That's just it! Both him and Stefan are so cute and really sweet. And need I remind you that I've only talked to Stefan for all of forty-five minutes? I didn't get the chance to even talk with Elijah for _that_ long? I don't know anything about them! Besides little things here and there."

"Well then do some sleuthing, girl. First, find out if they're taken. Last thing you want is an enraged girlfriend to deal with," Caroline giggled, "Other than that, it's pretty simple. Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Sex." Caroline grinned slyly.

"Caroline!" Elena smiled and threw one of her pillows at the bubbly blond.

"I'm telling you! It's so simple, Elena. If neither of them are with someone that is. Who did you feel an instant connection with?"

"Honestly?" Elena bit her lower lip.

"Uh, yea!" Caroline squeaked, sitting up with interest.

"Well…I don't know!" Elena laughed as pillows began flying in her direction.

"Don't tease me woman!"

"I'm sorry, but I just don't know! Stefan and I clicked I think, but Elijah was such a gentleman to me and you don't find guys like that anymore."

"So Stefan wasn't a gentleman to you?"

"No he was, its just…Elijah was like a guy straight from a Jane Austin novel. I keep thinking he must not be real."

"Sounds like Elijah was the one you had a connection with."

"Maybe. God I don't know, Caroline." Elena sighed and rubbed her eyes, suddenly tired from thinking about it all.

"Well, since your love life is obviously screwed up and will take years of therapy for you to make a decision on, I'll tell you about _my_ day. I'll give you a hint…it consisted of a lot of time with a certain sophomore."

"Oh let me guess… _Tyler_?"

"You're so smart." Caroline grinned and proceeded to talk about her day after her and Elena had parted ways. She had gone to Art class and found that she loved it there. Her teacher was just _super_ apparently. That was just a small part of her day though. The big part of her day was spending forty-five minutes with Tyler in History class. She kept telling Elena about how happy she was that she could see him in class as well as outside of class. Caroline also mentioned how much Tyler and her liked Mr. Saltzman because he was so cool and weird unlike their other stuck up teachers.

"I'm surprised that after last night he wasn't that hung-over! He looked smashed at the club," Caroline shook her head, apparently not able to fathom the idea that he got medicine somewhere, "that wasn't even the weirdest part. He made us do those lame introductions just like you guys, but he kept smiling every now and then, like he wasn't even listening to us and he was thinking about something else entirely different."

"Maybe he actually remembered something he had done with Damon last night."

"I don't know. Maybe. However, I don't see how it would be something worth smiling about if he did." Caroline chuckled and Elena joined her.

"He seems too smart to go along with anything stupid though. So maybe it was actually something worth smiling about."

"How would you know, Elena? He hangs out with Damon of all people. We don't know what he would do."

Elena had forgotten that she hadn't told Caroline about her interaction with him after class. For some reason, she didn't want to either. But what was there to keep a secret? She gave him aspirin, talked to him about flowers, and left. No big deal. Nothing happened. Elena sighed, realizing she would still rather keep it her little secret. Besides, she had promised him not to tell anyone about the flower thing. So there was no need to say anything about it… no need at all.

"You're right. I don't know."

* * *

_ Wednesday _

"Here is your list of vocabulary words. Remember them for Monday. There will be a quiz. I'll give you a few minutes to go over them with someone in class."

Signore Cooper started handing out the vocab list. Just what Elena wanted…more homework to complete. Her one and only class yesterday, Speech, and proved to be fairly boring. However, they had gotten information about a speech they had to deliver at the end of October. It had to be informational, but she still didn't know what her topic was going to be. She had asked Stefan, but he didn't seem to know either. Said it was her speech, not his. He was such a load of help.

"These words don't look that hard," Stefan said, giving the list a once over.

"Says the Italian native."

"I was simply giving my opinion."

"Well my opinion is that these words are just more work for me to do over the weekend."

"Someone is in a grumpy mood today," Stefan said playfully.

"I've…just got a lot of things on my mind. I'm not even sure they're that important."

"Well, if it's something that's putting you in such a bad mood, then maybe it is important. Let Auntie Stefan help you, child." He patted her on the shoulder, an expectant look on his face. She laughed as he waited for her to spill her guts to him.

Just as Elena was about to tell him, his phone buzzed once. It was loud enough for her to hear from her seat. He held up a finger, asking her to give him a minute, and he checked his phone for a text message. She saw his lips part into a genuine smile, making her smile in return.

"Whose that?"

"Someone is a little nosy."

"I was just curious! Whoever it is got you to smile."

"You make me smile." He proceeded to give her a bright grin to prove his point.

"Not like that," she laughed, "I mean they got you to smile like an idiot at your phone screen. Which normally only comes from a really cute text message."

"It's nobody, Elena." He shook his head as he typed up a response to the mystery person and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Aha. Nobody normally means somebody. Girlfriend?"

"Not quite." Stefan chuckled, amused by her curiosity.

"Oh come on! Tell me, please? What's her name?" Elena smiled and put her chin in both her hands, showing him she was utterly enthralled and listening. Yes, she was doing this partially to see if Stefan was already with someone. Caroline had said to see if Stefan and Elijah were dating anyone first. So that's exactly what she was doing.

Stefan looked at her for a while before actually moving. He licked his lips and moved in close, so as not to project what he was about to say to the whole class.

"What makes you so sure I'm into a girl, Elena?"

"Because you were just smiling at your phone like a dork, and I'm pretty sure your cheeks got a little red. You don't do that unless you're talking to someone you're interested in."

Stefan chuckled before continuing.

"You misunderstood my question. I meant…what makes you so sure I'm into a _girl_ , Elena?" He gave her a pointed look.

"Stefan, I don't…" She stopped as soon as it finally hit home. "Oh!"

There would definitely be no romantic future for her and Stefan now.

"So…I should be asking what _his_ name is?" Elena asked quietly.

"That a girl," Stefan whispered, smiling as he patted the top of her head like a puppy, "and his name is Niklaus. Or Klaus for short."

"How long have you been seeing each other?"

"About a year. Met him when I was on vacation and we've never stopped talking since. Two weeks after our first meeting, I asked him if he wanted to go out, and he said yes."

Elena couldn't help but smile affectionately at the story. Stefan was proving himself to be such a great guy. Shame she would never have a chance with him, but in a way, this put her mind at ease. She no longer had to wonder "what if" with him. They could simply be good friends with ease.

"Do you love him?"

"Of course. He's my boo." Stefan gave a little smirk.

"I wish you guys the best."

"Well maybe you'll get to meet him someday. He goes to school here. He's a senior."

"Maybe I will. I would like that." She grinned at the thought.

"Good. Now, so you don't fail this class, let's go over these vocab words a bit."

"Alright, alright. What's the first word?"

He chuckled at the word. "Amore."

"That's easy. Love."

"Look at you. You'll be fluent in no time," he said sarcastically.

"Yea, yea. Just give me the next word."

* * *

Elena had shared with Caroline in English about her new discovery on Stefan. Actually, she just told her that Stefan was already taken, and Caroline didn't question her. If Stefan didn't want the world to know that he was interested in boys, then Elena needed to respect that. After telling Caroline her story, they had both agreed she should find out about Elijah as soon as possible.

So, when she walked into History that day, she was on a mission. Get to know Elijah better and see if the spark was still there. The only people in the room were Mr. Saltzman and Elijah. Elena was surprised to see her teacher there so early. Elijah had been there before Elena the last time they had class, so for him it was something she had kind of expected.

"Hello Mr. Saltzman." Elena waved, a small grin on her face. Her teacher had his feet propped up on his desk and was leaning back in his chair. In his hand was a paperback book. She couldn't see the title from where she was standing.

"Hello Elena. And please, you can call me Alaric out of class. My name is already a mouthful as it is." He chuckled, not once looking up from his book.

"Will do." She said as she walked to the back where Elijah sat.

"How are you today, Elena?" He said smoothly.

"Are you gay?"

Elijah's eyes widened with confusion at the random question. He looked to the front of the room where Mr. Saltz…Alaric sat, wondering if he had caught any of that. When Elena looked behind her though, the teacher was sitting as still as a rock, looking intently at his book. The only thing that showed Elena he had heard her was that his mouth was twitching. She could see he was trying not to laugh out loud. Her gaze came back to Elijah, who was still mildly shocked by the question.

"Uh…no, no I'm not."

"Good. I was just curious." Satisfied, she sat down next to Elijah.

"Happy to clear that up then." Elijah gave a small smile.

"Believe me, I am too."

"Fall for someone who didn't play for your team?"

"You could say that."

"I feel honored then that you felt it necessary to ask me of my preferences," Elijah said, a sincere grin on his face.

"I…um…yea." Well that sounded intelligent. Her cheeks reddened immediately.

"Here…let me write my number down. In case you have anymore questions for me." Elijah began to search his backpack for a pen and some paper.

Elena smiled, happy that things were going so well before class even started. Her gaze began to wonder around the classroom. She was surprised to see that no one had showed up yet. Maybe it was a thing to show up the minute class was supposed to start. It didn't help that Alaric was so lackadaisical about the whole teaching job. Her roaming eyes stopped on the teacher. She noticed his brows had furrowed together and his gaze, while seemingly on the book, was on the floor. He looked…disheartened? Her own brows scrunched together in puzzlement. Why would he look so sad?

"There you go." Elena quickly turned back to Elijah before he noticed her attention was elsewhere. She smiled and put the piece of paper in her pocket. Then, she got out her own pen and paper to write her number down on it.

"Here is mine. Just so you know whose sending you texts."

"I'll be sure to put this in my phone as soon as possible. Elena…I also wanted to ask you something else. I know we planned on doing a campus tour later today, but my brother and his date are going to The Howler tonight. I was wondering if you'd like to be my date since he wanted to make it a double. I thought it might be better than just walking around school."

"Yea, that sounds like fun. Count me in." She grinned brightly at the thought of seeing Elijah in a club.

"Wonderful. I'll call you with the details later tonight."

"I'll be waiting."

Just then, a line of students came into the classroom. Elena looked at the clock to see that it was now twelve o'clock on the dot. At least they were semi-punctual. Alaric got up from his desk and she could see it took him a little effort to put some enthusiasm in his voice as he spoke.

"Hello again. Unfortunately, there will be no early out today. The school says I actually have to _teach_ you guys," the class booed at the mention of learning, "I know, I know. It's horrible, but we have a lot to cover, so let's get started. What's the lesson you ask? The Roaring Twenties!" He wrote on the blackboard in big letters what the topic of discussion was.

"Now…the sooner we start, the sooner you get out. So, what can you guys tell me about the time period?"

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Elena's brain hurt. The twenties weren't a bad time period to learn about in her opinion, but she had gotten a load of information that class period. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to remember it all. Go figure.

As she was about to leave, she couldn't help but look to see where Alaric was. He was sitting at his desk, still looking down in the dumps. Why did she always feel the need to help him? If it wasn't a hangover, it was a sad heart. She quickly thought about how to approach him. Reaching into her backpack, she got out some of her notes on the lesson.

"Elijah, I need to ask about something from the lesson, so I'll just see you later tonight?"

"Absolutely. I'll call you in a few hours." He gave her a smile and wave before leaving the classroom.

Elena sighed and took her notes to the front desk. Another frequent theme was that she was ditching Elijah to talk with her teacher after class. Yea, they'd only had two classes, but was it going to be a common reoccurrence?

"Um, Alaric?"

He jumped a little at hearing her voice. A smile quickly appeared on his lips, however, and he clasped his hands together on his lap.

"Elena. How can I be of service?"

"I um…I had a question about the lesson?"

"That's a first. Most students don't actually want to know what happened during class."

"What can I say? I'm one of a kind."

"I guess so," he said softly, "what's your question about?"

"Uh…" Did she really have to ask this? Her question had been a total ploy to get up here, but what if she asked it and he thought she was serious, and therefore really stupid? "I was wanting to know how the flappers dressed?"

"Elena…"

"I know it's a stupid question, it's just I missed it in the lecture and I wasn't sure if we would be quizzed on it or-"

"Elena!" He chuckled at his attempt to get her attention.

"Yea?"

"You have that in your notes already."

She looked down at her paper, and was befuddled by the fact that it was already there. Shit. She should have looked to see if what she was asking was at least believable.

"Huh, I suppose I do."

"What's really on your mind, Elena?"

She sighed. "I was just wanting to see how you were doing. You seemed down for some reason."

Alaric smiled and leaned back in his chair, looking up at her with dark blue eyes. It was the first time she had noticed the color of his eyes. They were very striking.

"You're a sucker for a lost cause, aren't you?"

"I am not! And who said you were a lost cause?"

"I didn't mean…I'm fine, Elena. I promise. Now go…I have another class coming in soon. Stop worrying about me. I'll be ok." He gave her a reassuring smile before standing up and putting his hands on her shoulder, walking her in the direction of the door.

"Ok! Ok, I'm going. Just cheer up, alright?" She whirled around to face him.

"I make no promises. Now go. I'll see you later, Elena." A warm smile appeared on his lips. He patted her on the arm before pointing to the door.

"See you later." Elena sighed before walking out of the classroom.

"Oh, and Elena?"

"Yea?"

"I'm not gay…in case you were wondering." He raised his eyebrows, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Ha ha. I'm laughing on the inside," she deadpanned, shaking her head.

Why was it she found herself constantly worrying over Alaric? What was it about him that kept him on her mind all the time? He was a teacher for crying out loud. He didn't look at her like that. She needed to clear her head. Hopefully her night ahead with Elijah would do just that.


	4. A Night Not Soon Forgotten

Elena and Elijah walked into The Howler arm in arm. The place wasn't quite as full as it had been when she went with Caroline, but there were still enough people there to make it a fun environment for the night. Elena tugged at the short, black dress she had on. As soon as she had told Caroline about the date, the blond had insisted that Elena borrow something from her closet. Luckily, they were the same size. That didn't make the dress any longer unfortunately. It had already brought her unwanted attention from the lowlifes hanging around outside. One had attempted to speak with her, but one look at Elijah silenced him.

"I know I haven't told you tonight, but you look absolutely stunning," Elijah whispered in her ear.

"Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself," she whispered back.

Elijah wore a tight, long-sleeved, black shirt with light blue jeans. The ensemble was simple but suited him nicely. He had more muscle than she had originally given him credit for too.

He took the two of them to a booth in the back and in the corner. The music was just as loud as it had been the first time she'd been here. She wasn't sure why Elijah's brother couldn't have picked a quieter place for a double date. Maybe they would be going somewhere after this. Elena didn't want to ask too many questions for fear of sounding high maintenance.

"What does your brother look like?"

"About my height, blond hair, blue eyes, nice smile. He's a year older than me, but that won't help you spot him of course. I think you'll like him, Elena."

"I'm sure I will if he's your brother."

"Well, we aren't the same precisely. I think our personalities are fairly different."

"Still, I'm sure-"

"Elijah! I see you come bearing excellent company."

That voice. Elena knew that voice. She turned to the men coming to the table, looking at the one who she was sure had spoken.

"Stefan?"

"You two know each other?" asked the man standing next to Stefan.

"She's the lovely girl from Italian, dear." He smiled, him and the man scooting into the seat across from her and Elijah. Wait…if Stefan's brother was Damon…then did that mean…

"You're Elijah's brother?"

"That would be me, sweetheart. Klaus Mikaelson is the name."

"Pleasure to meet you…small campus though."

"Unfortunately so," Elijah chimed in. He gave Elena a knowing looking, figuring out exactly why she had asked him about his sexual orientation earlier. Thankfully he kept this new revelation to himself.

"I'm quite fond of the size to our campus. Then we get to have little surprises like this that just make my day." Stefan grinned widely. His tone always remained the same, leaving her unsure of whether he was genuine or sarcastic half the time.

"Well, now that we are all acquainted with each other, shall we decide what we're going to eat? I'm positively starving." Elijah chuckled and browsed the small menu for the club.

Elena smiled at their little group. Not even a week at school and she had already made quite a few friends. She looked at the small menu, deciding to just get a glass of water and steal food from Elijah's plate. First date jitters told her to hold off on the pigging out until she observed the behavior of her friends first.

For the first time, Elena got a really good look at the popular club. Despite the scumbags that were outside, the inside looked fairly classy. If it weren't for the people, she might actually enjoy coming here more often. The only reason she could deal with it now was because of the company she was keeping. The entire room was tinted a dark pink from the lights. There was an open dance floor in front of the bar, which happened to be fairly long. Booths and tables surrounded the dance floor on all sides. The DJ was set up off in one of the corners, and speakers were scattered throughout the place. The place had potential, but it was in a bad part of town. The only time Elena would be coming here was if she was with her friends.

"Elena, would you like to dance while we wait for our drinks and food?" Elijah offered, noticing that she was looking around the room.

"Oh yes, that does sound fantastic,' Klaus added.

Elena wondered why Stefan had been so quiet in class about his relationship with Klaus if they were so open about it in public. She made a mental note to ask him about it in class.

"Um, sure. Why not?" Elena shrugged. Honestly, it was like history was trying to repeat itself, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. College was supposed to be a fresh start, but it seemed she kept being coerced into her past at this place. Maybe that was the reason she really didn't like it. Not just the people, but what the place reminded her of.

Elijah smiled and got out of his seat, offering his hand to Elena. Stefan and Klaus had already left at the mention of dancing, and were currently out on the dance floor. Elena's heels clacked on the wooden surface as her and Elijah walked out to the open area in front of the bar. The place had gotten considerably more crowded since her arrival, and just as before when she had been here with Caroline, people were bumping and grinding to the music. She spotted Stefan and Klaus facing each other, dancing a little out of rhythm to the music playing, but they seemed to be in their own little world. The image made Elena smile. They seemed so happy.

Elijah waited for her to make the first move, both of them suddenly very aware of the inappropriate way the people were dancing around them. Elena couldn't say too much though…she knew exactly how to dance like they were. It's not like it was that hard, but it was how she had danced before when she came to places like this. With Elijah, it seemed wrong to dance with him in such a way. She would just have to try and incorporate the provocative dance style with something more reasonable as well.

She placed her arms around his shoulders and began swaying her hips to the beat of the music. He caught on quickly and placed his hands on her waist, bee-bopping along himself. It was better than having her ass against his dick and shaking it accordingly. She had danced like that before, and there was no connection between the two who shared such a "dance" together. This way, she was looking right at Elijah, smiling brightly as she did. He returned the smile, but something seemed off. The sparks weren't there like they had been earlier. At least to her…she didn't know what was going through his mind or how he felt.

The song changed and soon, everyone in the room was jumping and pumping their fist in the air to go along with the song. Stefan and Klaus had somehow gotten over to where her and Elijah were and the four joined the rest of the room. Elena laughed at how much fun she was having with the three.

"We're going back to the booth!" Stefan shouted to Elena and Elijah.

The two nodded as Klaus and Stefan made their way through the crowd, zigzagging through the people until they were off the dance floor. As Elena watched them leave, a line of people walked between her and Elijah, separating them momentarily. That's all the time it took for a guy to come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist tightly. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he managed to hold on firmly. The line of people vanished and Elijah appeared in her view once more. She mouthed a "help me" to him and he understood immediately. The expression on his face showed he thought the situation was slightly humorous. The guy behind her must have looked drunk out of his mind. Elijah came up to Elena and addressed the guy attached to her backside.

"Excuse me, if I may cut in?" Elijah asked politely. Although something in his voice let Elena know he was agitated at having to ask to dance with his date. It was an understandable frustration in her point of view. He was trying not to make a scene though, and Elena was grateful for that.

"Find your own chick!" He shouted, slightly slurred.

"Well, I did, but you have her in your hands right now," Elijah countered.

The man gave a grunt and practically shoved Elena into Elijah's arms. It didn't matter to her how she got there, she was just happy to _be_ in his arms.

"Thank you," she mouthed to him.

The two walked off the floor, heading back in the direction of their booth. Elena didn't sit down immediately though. The guy had kind of shaken her up a bit.

"I think I'm going to the bathroom. Need to freshen up after that," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and not show how much it had scared her.

"Is everything alright, darling?" Klaus asked. His voice was laced with concern.

"Elijah can explain. I promise I'll be right back." Elena smiled and grabbed her purse before heading in the direction of the bathrooms. She kept away from the dance floor, walking by the tables to get to her destination on the other side of the building. The less chance she had of bumping into that man again, the better. Elena rounded a corner and reached the restrooms. She turned right into the women's bathroom, sighing with relief when she saw that they weren't disgusting like she had pictured.

The walls were red, and the stalls were black. A long gray counter stood opposite the stalls with white sinks. She went to the farthest end of the counter and looked into the mirror. Nothing too bad, her hair was just a little ruffled and she could stand to retouch her lip-gloss. As she got her tube of gloss out, another girl walked into the empty bathroom. She had short brown hair and really light green eyes that were apparent as soon as she stood by the lights in front of the mirror. Her dress was short, tight, bright red and with long sleeves. Elena was a little jealous of her beauty. Something about her tickled Elena's memory. The girl met her gaze and smiled. Elena returned the smile and waved.

"Sure is crowded out there," the woman said, a slight accent to her voice.

"I know what you mean. I needed a break," Elena said. The other woman chuckled softly, nodding her heading in agreement.

"I've been here for most of the night, but it wasn't that bad when I got here."

"Yea, it got worse while I was here too."

"Do you visit often?"

"It's only my second time," Elena confessed.

"Ah, a newcomer. I'll tell you now; this place is almost always packed. It's one of the nicer hangouts, even though it's still not the best. I would prefer coming to this place for drinks than any of the other clubs or bars."

"I'll be sure to remember that, thank you. I'm Elena by the way."

"Rose, and it's a pleasure." She smiled and went to fluffing her hair while Elena reapplied her lip-gloss.

While the two women were primping themselves, the door burst open, but instead of another girl coming in, a man staggered through.

"You! You owe me a dance!" The man slurred in a deep voice. Elena recognized that voice with horror. It was the one who had grabbed her by the waist earlier. Being able to see him now, Elena could see how much he dominated in size and muscle. No wonder his grip had been so tight! She shot Rose a terrified look, trying to convey to her that she did not want to be near this man. The other woman seemed to pick up the hint, and nodded her head before quickly sliding past the ogre in the bathroom and leaving. Hopefully the lady didn't just run off and leave her there. Elena hoped with all she had that the woman had gone for help. Where were the bouncers at when you needed them? Shouldn't they have kept the guy from entering the girl's restrooms in the first place?

"I don't believe we've ever met before," Elena tried to say casually, but inside she was frightened to the core. She was no weakling, but compared to his brute strength, she would be no match for him.

"Don't play coy with me! I know you remember," he drawled as he moved closer. Elena backed up so that she was farther away from the man, but the bathroom was certainly not that big. She soon bumped into the wall inside the handicapped stall, the one farthest from the door. Great.

"I'm afraid I don't." Of course she wouldn't have pepper spray in her purse either. Shit, shit, shit. At least she had heels on, that had to help her, right?

"Come on, princess. Let me show you," The man moved closer and soon was the only thing she could focus on. The man was a giant compared to her! As his hands touched her waist, she stomped on his foot with her heel, causing a yelp to escape his mouth. Elena went to bolt, but he recovered quickly and grabbed both of her arms tightly.

"That wasn't nice!" He shook her, hard. His grip was iron tight and no matter how much she wiggled, he wouldn't budge.

"Let go!"

"Not until you give me my dance!" The man snarled. She was shaking from fear at this point, and while her arms were unmovable, she tried to swing her legs. That's when he pinned his body up against hers. Now she wasn't able to move anything. Her brain worked overtime to try and think of something that would get her out of this mess. The man was beyond reasoning with, his alcohol intake had obviously been high this evening. She was realizing that her best chance of this turning out well was for her to agree with him and try to get him to go back outside the bathroom, where people were.

But then events began to happen so quickly; she wouldn't have to worry about her next move.

A man dressed in a black shirt and leather jacket jumped the man from behind, grabbing him around the neck and pushing his feet against the wall to take the two backward. Elena toppled forward a little, but was caught just in time by another set of hands before she went face first on the floor. The hands that had saved her from falling seemed to stay by her, as if protecting her, while she watched the two men in front of her fight. The man in the leather jacket was throwing punches left and right, dodging every now and then. The ogre was quick though, and even in his drunken haze was able to land a hit on the other man's face that was so hard, he fell backward on the floor, unconscious by the entrance to the restrooms. As her assaulter hobbled toward the stall again, his face bruised and with probably a broken nose, the man who had been beside her stepped forward. His hands grabbed either side of the stall's doorway and lifted himself up high enough to kick the ogre with both his legs. The blow was straight to the head, but somehow made him only stagger backward. Then, her protector performed the smoothest roundhouse kick she had ever seen, sending another blow to the drunken man's head.

He was out before he hit the floor.

Elena stood wide-eyed, taking in the scene before her. Rose was in the room, kneeling over the man in the leather jacket, who was now regaining consciousness and rubbing his head. As she took a closer look, she realized that it was Damon Salvatore. Elena couldn't forget the man that had been dancing on the bar top only two nights ago. It also answered her earlier question of why the girl had looked so familiar. Rose had been the one dancing with him. Elena made her way to the couple, but stopped as the brute who had caused all this blocked her path in the floor. She looked down at him with anger burning in her eyes. How could such an idiot completely ruin her night? As she thought of what could have happened, had Rose not gotten help, her legs wobbled underneath her. However, just like before, a set of hands grabbed her elbows from behind and steadied her.

"Easy there," whispered a familiar voice.

Elena carefully lifted her feet up to take her heels off. That would be a huge help. She didn't need four-inch heels with her already lacking balance. The protective hands never once left her elbows as she removed her shoes. She slowly turned herself around, placing a hand on her savior's chest to keep stable. Elena was slightly stunned by who she saw.

"Hey," Alaric said tenderly, his hands still placed on her arms for fear of her falling.

It shouldn't have been a big surprise, considering Damon was on the other side of the restroom. If both Rose _and_ Damon had been in the bathroom, she should have suspected the third person was her teacher.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Elena watched as Alaric checked her over for any wounds from the oversized man on the floor. Satisfied with the fact that she looked unharmed physically, he sighed with relief and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Why did you have to go and be the badass, Ric?" Damon questioned from across the room.

"Because she wasn't your damsel to rescue," Rose answered. It was low enough for Elena to tell that she wasn't supposed to have heard that.

"You were kind of unconscious, buddy," Alaric mocked, "I had to do something."

"I helped, just so you know," Damon shook his head smugly.

"I know. Without you, I would never have been able to take him." Alaric winked, getting a laugh from Damon.

"And don't you forget it."

"I don't mean to interrupt this 'who kicked more ass' contest of yours, but I think the poor girl would probably like to leave before this dick wakes up," Rose interrupted. Elena was grateful for it too. She owed this girl so much.

"Of course, I'm sorry. Would you like me to drive you back to your dorm?" Alaric offered.

"Actually, I would love that. I'm not in the mood to stay here any longer," Elena confessed.

Before she knew what was happening, Elena was being scooped up into Alaric's arms. She put her arms quickly around his neck, unprepared for the gesture.

"You are in no state to be walking, Elena. So before you start to argue, don't." He gave her a knowing grin before stepping over the man on the floor.

"Fine."

"Don't be a stranger, Elena. It was a pleasure to meet you," Rose said sweetly.

"I won't. It was a pleasure to meet you too. Oh! Damon?"

"Yes?" He finally stood up from the floor with Rose's support and turned to her.

"Could you find Stefan and tell him and the friends that he's with that I'm alright? Tell them I wasn't feeling well. I don't want them to worry."

"Will do, madam."

"Thank you. I owe both of you so much."

"We'll discuss payment for our services the next time we see you," Damon replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a smug smirk.

"Damon!" Rose hit him in the arm, causing him to wince at the pain.

"I was joking!"

"Goodbye you two." Alaric rolled his eyes and pushed the door open with his back, taking Elena out of the building through the back door. The warm air rushed across her face as they walked to his car. A sense of safety washed over her, a feeling that told her nothing could harm her while Alaric carried her. Her head slowly found a place on his shoulders, nestling into his neck. They remained like that until they reached the parking lot that housed his car. Alaric carefully opened the passenger door and slid her inside.

"Watch your head," he warned.

She fit in easily and he closed the door, going around to the driver's side and entering. The drive back to campus was short, but it was also silent. Elena caught the quick glances he would get of her, but nothing was exchanged verbally between them. Once Alaric pulled into the parking lot, she turned to thank him for everything he had done, but saw him getting out of the car. He came around and opened her door for her. Elena gave him a confused look as she stepped out of the car with her purse and shoes in hand.

"You don't have-"

"Yes…I do." Alaric's tone said there would be no discussing the matter.

The two walked into the building and went up the elevator to her floor. Elena was sure Caroline would be in the dorm, so at least she wouldn't be alone tonight. Otherwise Alaric might have insisted on staying there as well.

"This is my room," Elena said as they arrived to room 4726.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Caroline should be in there. She didn't say she had plans tonight."

"Alright…then I suppose I'll see you in class Friday. I would understand of course if-"

"Thank you."

Alaric looked at her kindly, a small smile on his face.

"I hope anyone would have done the same for you."

"Maybe," Elena shrugged. For some reason, she didn't think anyone else would have succeeded. Which brought something else to her mind…

"How did you two know how to fight so well?"

"We take martial arts classes. Have been for about five years now."

"Would you teach me?"

"Martial arts?"

"Yes…I want to know how to protect myself."

Alaric seemed to think about it for a minute. Several expressions passed over his face while he made his decision. Uncertainty. Pride. Shock. Acceptance. He finally nodded his head, bringing a smile to Elena's face.

"We'll start after class on Friday, ok?"

"Ok."

The two looked at each other for a long time, unsure of where to go from here. How did a student say goodbye to their teacher outside of the student's dorm room? And after he had just saved her life? Elena thought of the only reasonable one, which was to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. Alaric hesitantly put his arms around her, placing both hands on her back. They staid like that for a while, Elena's head resting close to his shoulder. She finally pulled away, and walked into her dorm room with one last look at Alaric. He smiled once more at her before walking toward the elevator. She closed the door, leaning against it after. Caroline was on her bed, reading some girly magazine. She looked at Elena leaning against the door and scrunched her brows together.

"Did your date go alright?"

Elena sighed.

"We have a lot to talk about."


	5. Pillow Talk and Unusual Dreams

Alaric's bedroom was pitch black, with only the moonlight shining through the window as a source of light. He nursed a glass of wine as he lay in bed, recalling the night's events. His mind was buzzing from the alcohol at this point, but it didn't bring him cheer as it did most nights. Tonight he just seemed to be…brooding. Was that the word for it? He found an escape in getting drunk with Damon at The Howler on most nights, but tonight had not been like most nights, now had it?

His current mood had everything to do with Elena. He couldn't seem to get that girl out of his mind. No matter how someone could say it, she shouldn't be in his head in the first place. He was her teacher for crying out loud! Why was he thinking about her all the time? Alaric just couldn't seem to get those big, chocolate brown eyes out of his head. Tonight had not helped matters at all either.

The door to the apartment opened as his roommate and his girlfriend finally came home. He placed his glass on the table next to his bed and sunk further under the covers. Even through the closed door he could hear them talking and laughing joyfully. Damon must have been feeling better. Alaric would have gone to see for himself, but he couldn't manage to make his legs work. So in bed he staid, hoping sleep would overtake him soon.

His bedroom door slowly creaked open as a pair of bright blues could be made out from the doorway.

"I don't remember ordering a booty call," Alaric said playfully.

"You're hilarious, Ric," Damon deadpanned.

"So I've been told."

Damon closed the door behind him and moved to sit on the edge of the bed so that he could face Alaric.

"You alright man? Not like you to go all broody on me," Damon asked with concern.

"Just a lot of shit on my mind."

"Have anything to do with the beautiful brunette you rescued tonight?"

" _We_ rescued."

"Right. Anyway…does it?"

Alaric looked out the window for a minute, not sure how to go about telling his best friend about the recent…development. It was probably best to just go ahead and tell him. He obviously knew something was up with Ric. Plus, if Rose could sense something was going on, Damon would know soon as well. He wasn't sure if either knew, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He faced his friend again.

"Yea."

"I _knew_ it! She's a babe man. If I wasn't with Rose, I'd probably try for her myself."

Alaric scoffed. "Rose has never been a reason of yours for stopping in the past."

"Well…" Damon waved both hands in front of him, looking for the right words, "none of those girls were ever ones that you wanted."

Alaric was stunned for a moment. Sometimes Damon would surprise him with how much of a good friend he could be. He was an ass about ninety-nine percent of the time, but there was always that one percent that showed Alaric he was worth keeping around.

"Valid point."

"So, are you gonna make your move or what?"

"I don't know man."

"Oh come on! What's stopping you?"

"She's a freshman, Damon! Probably eighteen? I'm twenty-five going on thirty-four."

"You pulled that number out of your ass."

"You know what I mean. There's a bit of an age difference."

"Elena is eighteen at _least_. She's free game and you know it. Besides, that doesn't mean she isn't mature for her age, if that's what you're looking for. Age does not equal maturity, as you also very well know from the girls I've brought home myself. Next excuse?"

"She's my student."

"Oh…" Damon was obviously at a loss with that reason. He knew exactly why that would be keeping Alaric from advancing any further into this particular relationship.

"Exactly," Alaric agreed.

"She might be worth the risk."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Then find out."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Geez Ric!" Damon got up, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. He paced a little in front of the bed before leaning against the wall by the window.

"You do this all the time. Meet someone at the club, dance with them, have a few drinks, and then leave it there. You never take the time to actually get to know someone. Or hell, you could just bring her home and fuck her brains out, but you don't even do that! Just zero contact with the female population." Damon's voice was beginning to rise at this point. His mass consumption of alcohol tonight had thrown away the filter to his words.

"That is _not_ fair, Damon! You know exactly why I don't bring anyone home with me." Alaric had had a fair share of drinks tonight…a lot in fact. His filter was basically demolished too.

"I know! I know man, I really do. That's why I want you to just try and find someone. I want to see you happy!"

"Who says I'm unhappy, huh? And why do I need a woman to fix this so called unhappiness?"

"Because you're miserable, Ric! You are lonely and you are _miserable_!" Damon was breathing heavy now, out of breath from the near shouting match. He was making an obvious effort to rein in his emotions. His eyes seemed to plead with Ric to understand where he was coming from. Alaric could too. He knew that his friend meant the best for him.

The room was silent for a while. Both were unsure of what to say after that. Alaric knew Damon was right though. He hated to admit it, but he was right. Alaric was lonely, and he hadn't been having an easy time for the past two years. He had become more or less an alcoholic in that time, and always hit the bars with Damon and whatever chick he had at the time. For the past few months Damon had been with Rose, and Alaric genuinely hoped he didn't screw things up with her. She seemed like the first decent chick to come along in a long time.

"Look," Damon started, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be shouting at you. I understand your concerns with getting into a relationship with Elena. My god you haven't even known each other for a week yet and I'm already pairing you two off. It's just, I saw the way you looked at her, and I saw the way she looked at you. Something's there…I know it."

Alaric took in the new information. He hadn't realized Elena was looking at him in some special way before. Could he be that blind?

"I feel it too, but I don't know if she does. She was at The Howler tonight because she was with Elijah, Damon. He's in my class too, so I kind of overhear these things."

"Please. You could handle a punk ass kid if you had to."

"The point is that she's showing interest in him, not me."

The silence resumed, both men thinking about the current circumstances. Then, Damon just shrugged.

"Well mi amigo…you're just going to have to woo her then."

"Woo her? Damon-"

"Don't even try. You and I have known each other for a long time, and I know that you can get a girl's blood pumping. I'm not saying to manipulate her, to feign any sort of feelings, or to lie to her. I'm simply saying you should be bold."

"That's you Damon, not me. I can't just make them fall head over heels for me in one night. That's your job."

"Well, what can I say? I'm a pro." Damon gave his smug little smirk.

"So if I'm going to… _woo_ her…it's going to be done my way. And that's patiently."

"Your definition of patience is waiting until she's got gray hair and dentures before making a move."

Damon dodged clumsily as Alaric threw a pillow. In both of their states though, it didn't work out so well. Alaric only hit the wall, far from where Damon had actually been standing. And when Damon went to dodge the attack, he tripped over himself and fell face first on the floor. Both boys started laughing hysterically, causing Rose to open the door and check on them.

"Idiots," She huffed, before shaking her head and closing the door as she went back somewhere in the apartment.

Damon wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes from all the laughing, and took a seat once more at the edge of the bed. After regaining his breath, he spoke.

"So, tell me. What's she like?"

"Elena?"

"No, fucking Mary Poppins. Of course Elena!"

"Ok! Ease up there," Alaric chuckled before continuing, "Well, she's kind. A little persistent when it comes to helping people. She's down to earth and funny. I've never met many girls like her. I think that's what led me to agree to teaching her martial arts too."

"You what?"

"Yea. When I dropped her off, she asked me if I could teach her so that she would be able to protect herself. I told her we would start Friday after class."

"You sly dog. If you don't make the most of that time with her, I will dispose of all the good liquor in the house."

"You wouldn't…"

"I would. Even if it meant none for me."

"Bastard," Alaric said under his breath.

Damon laughed and stood up, heading for the door. He turned around to face Alaric one last time.

"Get some rest buddy. We're going to have another killer hangover tomorrow. I can feel it's gonna be a good one." And with that, Damon opened the door and left Alaric to be alone once more. There was still a lot on his mind he wanted to figure out, however. Sleep would not come easy tonight. But then again, it never did.

* * *

_A large ballroom surrounded Alaric. The room had a golden hue to it, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to light the room in just the right way. The room seemed smaller than it probably was, but that had to be because of the number of people. A large staircase stood off to the side, where people descended continuously to join the other dancers. When had he gotten to a place like this?_

_And when had he dressed to match whatever this occasion was? He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and wore a tie to match the ensemble. His hands went to touch his face, and like everyone else, he felt he had something covering his face…at least mostly around his eyes. For others, their masks were covering their entire face. Alaric wasn't completely sure why he had been thrown into a masquerade ball though. He wasn't sure he had ever actually gone to one in his life._

_Was he dreaming perhaps? That had to be what was going on. But why did he know he was dreaming then? He normally didn't know what was going on until he woke up in a cold sweat. That was when he knew that his nightmares had been just that. However, this was a new one._

_He had never imagined himself in a ballroom. Not once could he remember this place being the setting to a dream of his, especially not in the past two years. Alaric decided the best thing he could do was roam around, see what it all meant. It was his dream after all, couldn't he do anything he wanted?_

_To test the theory, he searched out a bar. Off to the side, a long, wooden counter seemed to appear out of thin air. Hmm…interesting. He thought about something else, and suddenly, the buffet table opposite the side of the room where the bar was, filled with bowls and bowls of ice cream. Before he even got to the table, he already knew it was Chunky Monkey._

_So, he really could control what was going on. This was certainly a pleasant surprise. For once he might actually wake from his sleep well rested. But, why in the hell would he want to leave such a place? Leave it to him to finally dream up something that wasn't a nightmare, only to want to stay there instead of wake up._

_The ballroom was filled with sounds of The Beatles, which in real life, would be very out of place for such a dignified event. Normally, there would be orchestras or harps and pianos or even operatic singers. At least, that's what he imagined such places would have._

_As if on cue, the music changed into something he vaguely recognized. It sounded like Ave Maria, but he couldn't make out who was singing it. Now this song was something he could see being played in this kind of atmosphere. Alaric watched as everyone's gaze turned toward the large staircase. He looked to see what caught their attention, and his mouth went dry as he finally saw it too…or more like saw her._

_A woman stood at the top of the grand staircase, dressed in a blood red strapless dress. It hugged her body tightly until it flared out just below her hips. Oh, what did women call that…a mermaid dress or skirt or something? The dress had intricate white designs just below her chest and white flower designs where the dress flared out. Underneath the red fabric was a lot of white lace, but it wasn't sheer enough to see her legs. Her dark brown hair was done in loose curls that fell down her back, and her neck was adorned with a pearly white necklace. Like everyone else, she too wore a mask. It was a white one that covered her eyes and had a small white rose to the side surrounded by small white feathers. She was absolutely breath taking._

_She gracefully went down the stairs, going very slowly. He presumed it was so she wouldn't trip over her own high-heeled shoes. Alaric found himself moving toward the stairs involuntarily, unable to keep himself away from the beautiful sight. Something about her was drawing him closer, but he wasn't sure what it was. When he approached the bottom of the stairs, her gaze met his, and he was entranced from then on out. He could tell from this distance that she had beautiful, big brown eyes, and lips as red as her dress. She smiled brightly at him as she finished descending completely and stood in front of him at the bottom of the staircase. The woman reached her hand out for him to take, and he did so without hesitation. If she were willing to give him the time of day, then he surely wouldn't waste it._

_Yet, he couldn't help remembering that this was his dream. Could he not make her do whatever he wanted? He didn't have to think up all of this extravagant stuff…they could have been in a park. Somewhere deep down he knew that wasn't what he wanted though. For some reason, he wanted to be in a ballroom, and he wanted to see this woman. That had to be the reason he was so drawn to her._

_Without needing any prompting from the other, the two walked out on the dance floor. The crowd had gone back to whatever activities or conversations they were in previously, the attention off of him and the newcomer. Once they were in the middle of the room, Alaric placed his hand on her waist, and took her hand in his free one. She placed her other hand on his shoulder, and they began their dance. They twirled around the room with style, falling into a smooth rhythm without really trying. But sadly, the song ended too quickly and they found themselves walking out of the ballroom and into a hallway that Alaric somehow knew led to a balcony._

" _Is everything alright, Alaric?" The woman asked. Her voice was like silk to his ears. It was the most beautiful sound._

" _How do you know-"_

" _Your name? Why, I know everything about you."_

_Alaric processed this while they walked through the double doors that allowed them access to the building's balcony. The view below them was of a large fountain and miles of gardened areas._

" _Why do you know everything?"_

" _I don't know. It's your dream."_

" _Right," he deadpanned, "but what about the others in the ballroom?"_

" _They know as much as a stranger would."_

" _So why is it only you that knows so much?"_

" _Because you want me to I suppose."_

_Alaric blinked a couple of times, unsure what to make of this bizarre dream. He was apparently controlling more things than he was aware of._

" _Does it scare you that I know so much?" she asked quietly._

" _Um…no, actually. It's…comforting. I don't have to keep secrets from you."_

" _Then why are you so anxious around me? Do I make you nervous?" The woman moved closer as she spoke the words, which did make Alaric tighten up a little bit._

" _Uh…I mean…you're beautiful…but I don't even know who you are."_

" _I think you know exactly who I am."_

_He tilted his head to the side as she finally stopped in front of him, their bodies practically touching. Alaric found it hard to move, but he managed to bring his hands to her mask. He gently grasped the sides and slowly removed it. His eyes widened as he saw who the woman in front of him really was._

" _Elena…" he breathed._

_That was all he could say before her lips met his. His eyes closed as the feel of her lips took over his senses. They were soft and warm and were working their way all around his mouth. His right hand grabbed the back of her head and brought her closer, while his left was placed firmly on her lower back. Her hands slid through his hair and caused his pants to get just a little tighter. The kiss soon became intense as Elena coaxed a moan from his lips. She smelled like fresh strawberries. The scent drove him wild enough to force his tongue to ask access into her mouth. She granted permission, allowing him to taste her fully. His pants were now uncomfortably tight, and it didn't help that she kept rubbing up against his hard spot._

_Elena pushed him onto a stone bench, forcing him to sit down while she sat on his lap, continuing her passionate kisses to his skin. Her lips made their way up to his ear, her heavy breathing bringing out another moan from him._

" _Alaric…" she said softly in his ear. His eyes remained closed the entire time._

" _Yes?" he replied, his voice a bit gruff. His throat was suddenly very dry._

" _We shall meet again. But for now, you must wake up. Wake up, Alaric…"_ _her voice grew more distant as she spoke._

" _Not yet…not yet…"_

" _Wake up…"_

* * *

Alaric woke with a bit of a start. Light shone through the window and his head was pounding. He turned to look at the clock. It said it was nine in the morning. He grunted, planting his face into the pillow on his side. Why in the hell did he have that dream? He remembered everything about it, including the lead actress. But what did it all mean? Was it just a sexy dream or was it actually supposed to mean something?

His morning wood kind of answered that question, but the dream still felt like it had meant something so much more. He turned so that he could stare up at the ceiling. This couldn't be happening. Yet, it was. He knew he liked her…something he vaguely remembered discussing with Damon last night. But he had liked a lot of girls in the past. However, Alaric had never actually dreamed of them. For two years he had the same nightmare every night. Now he was having a dream about a student he had met only two days ago? There was absolutely no denying it at this point. He was attracted to her in every way possible…and this was sure to only make his life more difficult than it already was. He sighed.

"Well…shit."


	6. Painful Pasts

_ Friday _

"…And that's how Louis Armstrong became a household name in the twenties."

Elena sat with her head in her hands, jotting down notes as Alaric finished the lesson. All she could think about though was the lesson he had promised to give her after class. This was something that would probably turn into a weekly thing if she chose to continue training. Which meant she would be seeing Alaric more often than she already did. An idea that strangely excited her the more she thought about it. Yet it frightened her as well.

She hadn't spoke to him since Wednesday night's fiasco. All she had done since then was fill Caroline and Elijah in on what happened. Elijah had called Thursday to see if she was ok after leaving so abruptly. Elena thought it only fair that she fill him in on what had really gone on. He felt bad of course for not being her savior that night. She assured him that she was not upset at all with him, and that he couldn't have possibly known what that jerk was going to do.

Caroline, on the other hand, had been more interested in the fact that she left with Alaric rather than Elijah, instead of being more concerned about the oaf who had practically forced himself upon Elena. It was just one of Caroline's traits that people learned to live with. She was more interested in the gossip side of things. Besides, Elena still hadn't really told Caroline about what she was beginning to feel for her teacher. So her surprise was understandable.

After Elena had filled Caroline in on everything that had gone on between her and Alaric, the blond was ready to burst with giggles. She liked Alaric as a teacher and thought that he would be good for Elena. The brunette couldn't really argue with that kind of support.

"Elena?" Elijah's voice broke her train of thought.

"Oh, sorry. Wasn't paying attention."

"It's alright. Shall I wait for you or would you rather we spoke later?"

"Um…yea…I'm so sorry, Elijah."

"Think nothing of it," Elijah said with a smile. He nodded his head to Elena and walked to the door.

Elena sighed and gathered her books. That was something else she needed to figure out. Her and Elijah had really hit it off, and now she was having feelings for her teacher. The sensible thing to do would be to give up on Alaric and pay more attention to Elijah. She had no reason to believe that Alaric had feelings for her as well. Elijah, however, had been more than courteous to her and shown that he had thoughts of being more than friends with her. Alaric saving her that night didn't mean that he was interested in her. Just because she had been the damsel in distress, didn't mean that her knight in shining armor was going to fall head over heels for her. Life was not a fairy tale.

The entire class had left at this point, leaving her alone with Alaric. She walked up to the front of the class stood beside his desk.

"So, I haven't forgotten your promise."

"I didn't think you would have," Alaric teased.

"Well then…what time should we start?"

"After my next class. That gives you about an hour to go to your dorm and change into more appropriate attire. Then you can meet me at the gym around two. Sound good to you?"

"Yes it does. Don't be late."

With that, she turned and walked to the door. From behind her she could hear the sarcasm in Alaric's voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't _dream_ of it."

* * *

Elena waited patiently outside of the gym with her duffel bag in hand. Where was Alaric? She was ready to get this session over with so that she didn't have to be with him any longer than necessary. If she wasn't with him, she couldn't like him…right? That had to be enough. Getting involved with her teacher could only be bad news. A part of her knew that she was being impatient because she actually wanted to see him. Another part of her was saying that she was right, and that the less she saw him, the better. She was at war with herself.

About ten minutes after two, Alaric pulled up in his car to where she was standing and rolled down his window. At the sight of him, she knew which side was going to win the war within herself.

"Hop in."

"I don't hop in with strangers unless they offer me candy. Sorry."

"Just get in, Gilbert," Alaric chuckled, waving her to the passenger's side.

"I thought we were meeting here though?"

"And we have. Now I'm taking you to where I want to actually workout with you."

"Right," Elena sighed and shook her head, walking to the passenger's side and hopping in. Alaric drove off and they staid quiet in the car together. It felt like a comfortable silence. Elena didn't feel pressure to say something to fill the empty space. She just looked out the window and let her thoughts wander.

After twenty minutes, they arrived at a large warehouse. No cars were parked outside, so it looked like it was just the two of them there. Alaric pulled up beside the door and got out. Elena was slightly confused, but didn't question anything and got out as well. The two walked to the door together and when Alaric opened it…she had to admit she was surprised.

The floor space was incredible, but that wasn't the real surprise. It was large on the outside, so of course it would be on the inside as well. However, she wasn't expecting the floor to be covered in black mats, with an assortment of gear off to the side. Clothes, boxes, wooden boards, gloves, pads, and different looking punching bags were all off to the side, ready for use. Windows were placed all over the walls, high and low, letting in an adequate amount of sunlight. There were also two staircases that led to an upper level. She dropped her bag and immediately went to investigate.

The second floor was like it's own living area. Couches, a T.V., armchairs, lamps, a refrigerator, a sink, some counter space, and a couple queen-sized beds filled the space nicely. She bent over the railing to look down at Alaric, who had a very pleased grin on his face.

"So do ya like it?" He yelled up to her.

"Of course! This place is amazing!" She giggled and ran down the stairs. It was like a large playground that you could live in.

"Damon and I crash here sometimes if we're busy training all night."

"It's a great place to practice. How long did it take you to set everything up like this?"

"Oh, about a year I guess?"

"Well I think it was well worth your time. This place is fantastic."

"Thank you. Now, on to your lessons."

Alaric walked toward all of the gym equipment, taking his shirt off as he did. Elena was awestruck for a while before she realized just how obvious her gawking was. Alaric's years of gym work were noticeable, but not overly so. He wasn't America's Next Top Model, but that actually made Elena more attracted to him physically. She bit her lower lip, imagining different scenarios in which his shirt could be removed…

Wait…what was she saying? She shouldn't be thinking about that! Damn her hormones.

Elena shook her head and followed Alaric to where he stood. He had a pair of black gloves on his hands and he offered Elena a pair as well. She put them on and looked around at the rest of the equipment.

"Will I need anything else?"

"We'll see. Those should do you for now."

"Ok then. What's the first lesson?"

"The first thing you need to learn about is your stance," Alaric instructed.

"Alright, how do I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Elena felt something sweep behind her legs and then...her ass was falling fast to the floor. She looked up at the cause of her fall with an agitated look. He smiled smugly and gave a shrug. She quickly stood back up, keeping a close eye on where his legs were this time.

"If your stance isn't good, things like that happen."

"Thanks for the demonstration," she deadpanned.

He chuckled and gestured toward the equipment. "Do you need butt pads perhaps?"

"No. I'll be just fine."

Alaric shrugged again and seemed to think about something before speaking once more. "Maybe we should just see how strong and flexible you are first, before we get into any of the basics. Stretch with me."

Elena nodded and sat down with Alaric, copying everything he did. Her flexibility turned out to be perfect, but that was probably because she knew all of the yoga poses he did. She took yoga classes over the summer as something to do in her spare time. Apparently it was paying off.

"Very nice. Now stand with me and show me how high you can kick."

She did as she was instructed and found out that her high kick was on point. Alaric was obviously impressed, nodding his head in approval.

"Ok, now try and hit me with your foot. I promise you won't hurt me, I just want to see how much strength you have in your legs."

Her brows furrowed at his lack of worry. He thought that she couldn't deal any damage to him. She swung her leg as hard as she could at him, but he only ended up catching her foot with his hands and holding on to it. Elena's eyes widened and only worsened when he pushed her back into the wall, still holding her foot for control. He tilted his head in that all knowing manner he had, telling her non-verbally that she needed to work on that. Alaric released her foot and walked back to where they had originally started out.

"We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"Just one more time?"

"No, Elena. We're done for the day."

Alaric was breathing heavily and Elena was doing the same. They had been going at it for six straight hours. It was now eight o'clock and Elena could tell that Alaric was worn out. She was too, but she wouldn't admit it to him. She nodded in a silent acceptance, and fell to the floor accordingly. He chuckled, slowly walking over to where she collapsed. Picking her up, he walked carefully over to the stairs and took her up to the living area of the warehouse.

"You know I can walk still."

"Really now? I'll let you walk next time then."

"That's all I ask."

Of course she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy being in his arms, but that was something she couldn't let him know. He sat Elena down on the couch and then walked over to the kitchen. His movements suggested that he would be sore the next day. Elena giggled at the thought, bringing about a confused look from Alaric. She waved her hand, asking him to ignore the outburst.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Just a bottle of water. I'm terribly parched."

"I can only imagine."

He chuckled and took two bottles out of the fridge, coming back to where Elena sat on the couch and taking the spot beside her. She gratefully took the bottle and chugged about half in one sitting. Next time, she wouldn't be going six hours straight. The time just got away from them this session and before she knew it, it was dark outside. Elena took this time to really look around the place.

"How did you afford all of this? The furniture, the warehouse…everything."

"Uh…well…would it be bad if I said my parents helped a bit?" He asked with a hint of embarrassment.

"I wouldn't judge you. Where do your parents live?"

"Florida. The old folks state," he chuckled.

"Ironically the one with Disney world too."

"True statement. What about your parents? You said you've lived in Mystic Falls all your life, so how far away from campus are they?"

"Well…I actually lived with my Aunt Jenna and brother for the past two years. They live about three hours from here. So maybe I haven't technically lived around _here_ per se…but three hours isn't that long of a drive, right?"

"Hate to break it to ya, but it kind of is. So I wouldn't say your _whole_ life."

"Alright, alright. It just feels like it I guess. I used to make trips up here with my parents a lot."

"Why is that past tense?"

"Because they died two years ago."

"Oh…I'm so sorry."

Silence fell upon the two of them for a while. Nothing could kill a mood more than the death of someone's parents.

"It's alright. I'm slowly getting over it. They…they were picking me up from a party I had gone to. It was raining, it was hard to see, and the roads were really slippery. They took a sharp turn and before we knew what had happened…the car was wrapped around a tree. Actually…they never found out it was a tree we hit."

For two years, Elena held guilt from that night. She felt guilty that she had gone to that party in the first place. If she hadn't, her parents wouldn't have come to pick her up because of her drinking that night. They would have never hit that tree and her parents would still be with her to this day. She had made a promise to herself to stop all of the partying after that. Elena refused to be the cause of any more deaths.

"My girlfriend of four years died two years ago," Alaric stated abruptly.

Well that was something Elena hadn't expected to hear. She guessed he was only telling her because she had shared her past with him.

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

Alaric got quiet for a few minutes. It was obvious that this was a sore subject for him. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"A group of guys broke into our apartment in the middle of the night. Two guys dragged her out of our bedroom, while three held me back. I could hear her screaming from across the hall. The three that had me took me down the stairs and outside of the house. After they had beaten me up quite a bit that is. They continued hitting me outside, for fun I guess. Hell, one of them even got a baseball bat out from their car. Our house was in a secluded area mind you…so that's why nobody was going to come to our rescue anytime soon," he said quietly. Elena could tell he was about to get to the worse part of this already awful story.

"I couldn't fight back because I was outnumbered. I felt helpless. Not only that, my girlfriend was still in the house with two brutes. I didn't know what to do. I didn't think there was anything I could do. The pain was excruciating and all I wanted to do was succumb to the numbness. I couldn't even do that though. Right when I was about to…the two thugs that had been with Isobel came outside…but not with Isobel. They had a frightened expression on their faces. The two of them told the guys with me that they all needed to leave immediately. Before they could ask what was wrong, I heard screaming…and I smelled smoke. It didn't take them long to smell it too, so they all piled in their car and booked it out of there. I was left there on my yard, however. I was unable to move and I was close to unconsciousness. But I-"

Alaric stopped then, putting his hand over his mouth while tears streamed down his face at the horrific memory. Elena had tears welling up in her own eyes, prompting her to reach for Alaric. His head fell to her lap, his dry sobs ripping right through her heart. It may have been two years, but this was still very fresh in his mind. Elena began stroking his hair to calm him down. She couldn't possibly imagine what this poor man had gone through.

After a few minutes, Alaric had gathered himself together enough to finish the story.

"I still remember hearing her scream from inside the house, while the flames engulfed the house. Eventually…those screams seized…just like that. One moment I could hear Isobel shrieking…the next it just stopped. Not long after, I blacked out. The next thing I remember I was in a hospital room with Damon by my side. Apparently someone had seen the smoke coming from the house and called it in. When the fire department got there, I was breathing still, but only just. The house was burnt to the ground practically and…well…Isobel didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry, Alaric."

"I still have nightmares to this day. All I see is my house with flames rising from the windows and her screams. I can't get it out of my head. What's worse is that I don't know if those guys were ever caught. The police tried searching for them, but they didn't have a lot to go off of to begin with. For all I know, they're still out there somewhere."

They staid quiet for a few minutes, letting everything sink in. How did their lives get so fucked up? All she wanted to do was tell him that everything would be all right, but would it? Would everything really be all right? She wiped a stray tear away while absentmindedly rubbing her hand over Alaric's arm. Silently, she coaxed him to get up and head over to one of the beds. As if the both of them being physically drained wasn't enough, they were now emotionally drained too. The last thing he needed at this point was a poor night's rest on the couch.

Elena crawled onto the bed and leaned her back against the headboard. Alaric looked unsure at first, but he slowly got on the bed as well and placed his head on her stomach, wrapping an arm around her waist. Her hand began rubbing his back, trying her best to comfort him after that confession about his past.

"Tonight…I want you to have good dreams. You deserve them. Dream about a field of lilacs. Dream about a good time you and Damon had together. Dream about anything you want. The possibilities are endless."

Elena sighed. She wondered if he actually would have a good night's sleep for once. Alaric's hand slid over Elena's and grasped it gently. Not long after, his breathing evened out and she could tell he was asleep. She let her free arm carefully rest across his back. A smile formed on her lips before she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Maybe her and Alaric would have similar dreams tonight…just maybe.


	7. The Unknown

_Elena opened her eyes sleepily. A cool breeze blew across her face as she took in her surroundings. Her mind felt as if it were shrouded in a hazy fog, which was quite a weird sensation. Off in the distance, she could hear seagulls flying by and ocean waves crashing on a shore. Her back was against a large tree too. The branches curled so that leaves were above her and she had an adequate amount of shade. She didn't remember being in a place like this before. It was so peaceful._

_She carefully pushed herself up into more of a sitting position. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could finally see what she was wearing. It definitely was something she did_ not _remember owning. She wore a tight, white top that didn't fully cover her stomach. The sleeves fell loosely off her shoulders and it showed just a hint of cleavage. A long, white skirt covered her lower half, with a lengthy slit on one side. No shoes were to be found anywhere, so apparently, if she decided to go anywhere, it would be barefoot. That wasn't something she minded too much though._

_Why hadn't she visited this place before? She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It smelled just like the beach. When she turned her head to look behind her, she found there was a cobblestone walkway, with patches of grass here and there along the way. Where it went to, she couldn't see. Elena cautiously got to her feet, unsure of how she was feeling and if she would be able to stand._

_She put her hand on the trunk of the tree for balance and found she was able to stand just fine. As she tried to gather herself enough to see if she could explore this new place, she felt something sliding on her hand. She turned to the trunk of the tree to see a dark green vine slithering up her arm unhurriedly. Her mouth opened wide in horror and shook off the moving greenery, quickly placing her body as far from the tree as possible._

_Something was off. That was obvious. What was going on? Vines didn't just move like that. It wasn't just swaying in the wind, it was_ moving _up her arm. How alive was this place? What else could do that? Elena walked along the edge of the beach, afraid of getting close to the plant life again. Where was she supposed to go? She had no clue where she was._

_The sound of wings flapping in the sky made her look up. Her mouth dropped open as she tried to wrap her head around what she was seeing. Was that…was that a dragon? A lone, bright red dragon flew across the light blue sky. How was that possible? Dragons weren't real! She needed to find out where she was and soon._

_Before she could take another step further though, another dragon flew across the sky. The dragon was a dark purplish color with long, pale yellow ears. Its thin looking wings were a faded red, possibly beige looking color. The tail was wispy with strands of the three different colors creating it. The dragon seemed to be covered in talons as well. Not only that…this one was coming right for her. He wasn't alone like the other one though. On the back of this dragon, was a rider._

_Elena backed up instinctually, wanting to distance herself from the fearsome looking creature. It was both beautiful and frightening at the same time. It came to a halt a ways from her. The rider hopped off with ease and strode toward her. He was clad in all black, with a matching black cloak hanging around his shoulders. He was hooded at the moment, which made Elena feel very uneasy. She wanted to see the man walking to her._

_For some reason, she didn't feel the need to run, however. While she was anxious about what this man wanted, she didn't feel the need to hide from him._

_He eventually reached her, after what felt like a century. She furrowed her brows as she watched the man remove his hood slowly. Her eyes widened at the man standing before her. It couldn't be! What was he doing here? This was the absolute last place Elena had expected to see him. Then again, she didn't know where she was, so why couldn't he be there?_

" _Alaric? Where are we?" Her voice held more panic than she had intended it to. Alaric stared at her with a dazed look in his eyes. This was no time for her knight in shining armor to be awestruck. Elena moved in closer and snapped her fingers in front of his face._

" _Alaric!"_

_He shook his head as if coming out of a trance. Then he looked confused, as if Elena were some alien. Yea, she was the freak, when he had just jumped off the back of a_ dragon _! He seemed to be searching for the right words as he looked around on the sandy shore, like it held answers for him. Alaric just looked at her again, that same confused look on his face._

" _Don't you know?" he asked gently, "I mean…you always know."_

" _No! I really don't! Why would I be asking if I did?" she yelled._

_He held his hands up in surrender, not prepared for her to lash out at him. She crossed her arms and looked down, sorry she had just shouted at him like that. Alaric looked completely astounded by her being there for some reason._

" _Elena…this is my dream."_

_Suddenly, the hazy fog that had clouded her mind when she first woke up seemed to dissipate. Just like that it was gone. Realization hit her hard. That's why none of this seemed familiar. It was all a dream. Alaric's face still looked puzzled. Why did the guy keep looking at her like that?_

" _Your dream?" she asked._

" _Yes."_

" _Well, why in the world are we here? What is this place?"_

" _I-I don't know. I never thought of a name for it."_

" _So you just made this place up?"_

" _Yes." Alaric sounded distant, as if he were deep in thought. Elena let out a heavy sigh._

" _Why do you keep looking at me as if I have a third eye? I…I don't have a third eye, do I?" Elena panicked at the end of her sentence, realizing that that was a possibility. Alaric finally smiled in what looked like relief, and shook his head._

" _No. No it's just…normally you know where we are. I don't have to explain so much to you. I'm not sure why I have to now. I've only been dreaming of this place for a couple of nights now, but there's been a pattern. And one is that you always know where we were. "_

" _I've been here before?"_

" _You don't remember?"_

" _No. I woke up by a tree on this beach and then all of a sudden a vine was trying to crawl up my arm and dragons were flying around and…honestly, are you sure it's not_ my _dream?"_

" _Could I do this if it were yours?" He held his hand out, and soon enough, something began to gradually form before Elena's eyes. At first it was just a bright, shining light. As it rose, a golden hilt with a ruby gem in the middle was in Alaric's grasp. As the light ascended more, silver metal attached itself to the hilt. Then, the light was gone, and all that was in Alaric's hand was a grand looking sword. Elena was perplexed. She hadn't thought about him doing that._

" _Okay…well, who says I can't do that?" Elena held her hand out just like Alaric had. The same light that had formed before was there again. Elena wasn't thinking about a sword though. Instead, the light created a brown, leather satchel. The light disappeared once more, and Alaric looked at her with another stunned expression._

" _How did you-"_

" _I keep trying to tell you. It's my dream."_

_The two looked at each other for a long time, neither saying a word. The sound of Alaric's dragon roaring broke them both out of their reverie. It sounded a lot like a tiger to her. She glanced at the creature, then to Alaric._

" _Does…does it have a name?"_

" _Uh, yea, he does. Volos. That's his name."_

" _Volos. I like it. He's breathtaking."_

" _You know…I can show you more of this world. Apparently, you have no knowledge of this place, so you can experience it all anew."_

" _I think that would be best. I'd rather have my own ride though. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the thought of riding on your friend yet." Alaric frowned slightly, but nodded in understanding._

" _Alright. Count to three for me, then turn around."_

" _Why?"_

" _Just…trust me on this. I'm going to get you a ride, okay?"_

" _Okay, okay." Elena readied herself, and then began counting. When she reached three, she turned around to find a magnificent looking white horse. Of course it wasn't just any horse. It had bright, white wings that looked similar to an angel's wings. It had a long, white mane and a black spot on its nose. She beamed at Alaric, who was giving her a small smile._

" _Told ya. She's a beautiful horse for a beautiful girl. Feel free to name her whatever you'd like."_

_Elena thought for a moment, before the name she wanted popped into her head. "Leonora."_

_Alaric laughed, causing Elena to give him a look that showed she was not amused. He just shook his head. "I like it. It just means 'light,' which is exactly what your name means. It's interesting you chose something with the same meaning as your own name."_

_Elena thought for a moment and then nodded. Of course he would know the meaning to her name and her horse's name. Then again, it was a dream. He could have an unlimited amount of knowledge if he wanted. It had been made known that she couldn't control what he did, nor could he control what she did. It was all very odd._

_She went to jump on Leonora, when Alaric came to her side to help her up. She was very aware of what kind of clothes she was wearing suddenly. Elena quickly got on her horse, managing to dodge the wings as she did. Alaric looked disappointed, but walked over to Volos and got on his back once more._

" _Follow me!" he shouted to her. Elena nodded and waited for him to take off. It seemed she was able to silently communicate with the horse, because as soon as Alaric was in the air, so was she. Leonora followed Volos diligently and Elena found herself clinging to the horse for dear life. Being this high in the sky without anything that resembled a seat belt was unnerving._

_The sight of the world below her offered a nice distraction though. The ocean water looked crisp and clear, with not a hint of murkiness to it. Beyond the ocean waters, however, was something she hadn't expected to see. This dream world was grand, and not limited to just one place, such as the beach she had woken up on. From the clouds, she could see ornate buildings that looked thousands of years old. One place was where Volos was heading. The building wasn't on the ground either. It was on a floating rock in the sky. Elena had thought they'd be going beneath the clouds at some point, but of course she had to be proven wrong._

_Volos landed, Leonora following close behind. Alaric got off the dragon's back, and Elena quickly got off the brilliant stallion before Alaric could come over to help her. She regarded the structure that stood in front of her, the one he wanted her to see apparently._

_It was a large, white, temple like building. White marble steps went up to a marble platform, surrounded by large, white pillars on every side. Smaller pillars supported a dome on the roof of the structure. It reminded her of The Parthenon in Greece, with the exception of the dome and the small pillars on the roof. And instead of being rectangular, it was more of a square._

_The building had patches of green on the marble steps, where grass was somehow growing through cracks on the steps. Water flowed from various ponds around the structure to the edge of the flying rock. It fell off in a beautiful stream, but never quite seemed to reach the earth beneath the clouds. Stones and trees littered the area, creating a gorgeous scene. This place…it was unbelievable._

" _It's dazzling," she breathed._

" _It is. You always like to come here. It's even better at night. The stars shine brighter than they do in the waking world."_

" _Couldn't it be nighttime now?" Elena smiled and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the sun was gone. A full moon in the sky had replaced it. Stars were scattered across a very dark blue background, and Alaric had been right. They shone with a brilliance she hadn't remembered them having._

" _You're getting the hang of things already."_

" _I'm a fast learner." She smiled and walked toward the steps, climbing them leisurely as she took in everything. Alaric walked by her side, as if uncertain how to act around her. Then a question came to her mind. It had been there since he had said something to her earlier._

" _You dream of me?"_

_Both of them stopped moving. Alaric had a guilty look on his face. It was all the answer she needed, but she waited for him to speak. He kept saying she had been here before, and he had said it was his dream, even though it had been made apparent now that she could control certain elements in this world too. He took a deep breath before speaking._

" _Only for as long as I've been able to dream of this world. The first night, we were at a masquerade ball. Found out later it was some building in a city around here. Last night, we came to this piece of architecture. You said it was beautiful. Both nights...you knew exactly what was going on though."  
_

" _It is beautiful, but I don't remember any of those times. This is the first time I've seen any of this place."_

" _So you've said. I don't understand what that means though." He shrugged and continued walking up the steps. She followed close behind._

" _Why do you dream of me?"_

" _Because I could never be with you in the waking world. Not like I can be here," he whispered. If she hadn't been listening intently to him, she would have missed it. At first, his words didn't make sense. Then it clicked, and she felt almost violated. Well…it's not like she hadn't dreamed of a guy with her before. It was a dream. People could do anything they wanted and be with anyone they wanted. It just felt weird actually_ knowing _someone else dreamed about her in that way._

" _Why couldn't you be with me outside of the dream world?"_

" _Elena, you and I…it would never work out there."_

_She moved closer to Alaric and made him face her. "Why not?"_

_He sighed and turned to face her, his brows furrowing as soon as he looked at her. "Elena, you're fading."_

_It was her turn to scrunch her brows together. She looked down at her hand, and sure enough, she didn't seem so…solid anymore. Elena turned to Alaric, alarm clear in her eyes. He went to grab her shoulders to steady her, but she didn't feel anything. His hands made a motion for her to relax, and she tried to._

" _I think you're waking up. It's going to be alright, nothing is wrong."_

" _What if I can't get back here?"_

" _You're smart, Elena. You'll figure a way out if you want to get back."_

" _Alaric!"_

_She was becoming terrified as she realized he was right. It was a strange sensation, being partially in a dream and knowing she was about to wake up. Elena looked at Alaric, who was giving her a comforting look. She inhaled deeply before nodding her head. Then she closed her eyes. It didn't take long before she knew she had winked out of existence in the dream world._

* * *

Elena's eyes shot open. That had been one hell of a vivid dream. She remembered everything. She remembered the beach, flying on Leonora, and being with…Alaric. Elena turned her head to see a still sleeping Alaric next to her. He looked sad, and she wondered if he was having the nightmare he had told her about. Somehow, during the night, she had managed to rest her head on his chest. Her arm was around his waist and his arms were around her. What had she gotten herself into?

No wonder he kept telling her in the dream that they couldn't be together. She still wasn't sure she should be having these kinds of feelings for him. He was her teacher! If someone found out…she'd be labeled the school slut for sure. She could hear the rumors now. Elena Gilbert sleeps with history teacher for good grade. She shook her head and carefully wiggled her way out of Alaric's grasp.

Somehow, she had managed to keep him from waking up. Elena tiptoed to her stuff before she realized he was her ride there. She sent Caroline a quick text, asking if she could come get her. The fact that she was asking the roommate that she had only known for a week to come get her from a guy's warehouse was a bit embarrassing, but she didn't know how to face Alaric after that dream. While she waited for a response, she searched for a pen and some paper. After finding them, she quickly wrote down a note for Alaric, so he didn't think she just up and left him. Even if that's what it seemed like she was doing at the moment.

Her phone buzzed, telling her she had an incoming text message. It was from Caroline.

_Of course I'll come get you. Where are you?_

Thank goodness for Caroline. Elena sighed and sent the address. After that, she set the note down on his nightstand and quickly went down the stairs and out the door. That dream had been too freaky. It wasn't often she was able to tell while she was sleeping that she was actually in a dream. She normally just woke up the next morning and tried to recall what she had dreamt. Maybe she should start keeping one of those dream journals. That could be informative.

Caroline's car eventually pulled into the lot, and Elena got in on the passenger's side. Her roommate looked at her quizzically, ready for an explanation as to what was wrong. The thing was, Elena didn't know if anything was really _wrong_.

"I just had a strange dream last night. It freaked me out this morning."

"Oh, I had a dream last night. It was kind of kinky and…"

"Okay! Too much info!"

"Relax! I won't share _too_ much. Let's go get some breakfast, and then you can tell me all about your wet dream involving a certain history teacher."

"Caroline! It wasn't like that!" Elena was flabbergasted. Her cheeks began to burn and she knew they were bright red.

"Well then tell me!" Caroline grunted and then pulled out of the lot, heading for some place that had food.

"It was unusual. And that is an understatement. I was in some world with dragons and flying horses, and then Ric came and showed me around. He wasn't surprised to see me either. He was just surprised that I didn't remember being there."

"Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something."

"What though?"

"I don't know! It's your brain, you tell me."

Elena laughed, bringing about a smile from the blonde's face. Caroline pulled into some diner's parking lot. After the car was parked, she turned to face Elena.

"I'm going to get some strong coffee and pancakes, then you're going to start from the beginning. Lucky for you, we have all weekend to research dreams and find out what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

Elena smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Some waffles did sound pretty good, and she needed to be comfortable with seeing Alaric again by the time Monday's class rolled around. Unfortunately, she didn't know a lot about the meaning behind dreams, but she'd be damned if she wasn't an expert by the end of the weekend.


	8. Searching for a Meaning

It took Elena all of her weekend to research what the meaning behind her dreams could be. The library surprisingly had a small selection as far as the study of dreams went. Caroline of course was quick to suggest googling the subject. After about five minutes of sitting and watching Elena look through books, she had gotten impatient and went straight to the computers to search for more of whatever it was they were looking for. The first thing they probably needed to do was pinpoint what kind of dream it was, before deciphering the meaning behind it.

Elena wasn't well versed in the meaning of dreams, or the types that existed. The search results found on google helped give her a small idea of what she was wanting, but she had no idea what she was looking for, or what she wanted. What was she hoping to find from all this? She knew there was a small attraction to her teacher, but this dream was just…weird. The best response she found to her experience was something called lucid dreaming. It was where the person could recognize that they were in a dream while still sleeping. That had to be it. She remembered realizing that it was, indeed, a dream.

The only other responses she found were nightmares, which it obviously hadn't been. It had been weird, but not necessarily in a bad way. Another result was a false awakening dream, but she hadn't thought she was "awake" during it. She had been in some crazy world, one that was obviously not her usual surroundings. Healing and recurring dreams definitely weren't it. It didn't feel like an epic dream. Elena couldn't be certain if it was going to be a progressive or prophetic dream, since it was still too soon to tell.

The last result she found was interesting, albeit a bit scary to think about. It was something called a mutual dream. It was when two people had the exact same dream. The dreams could be planned, but Elena knew that wasn't the case for her. She had _not_ planned on having the same dream as Alaric. There wasn't much on that specific type either. All it said was that the two who shared the dream normally had a strong bond between them.

Caroline had looked up with a questioning look in her eye. Elena only shook her head. No, that couldn't be it. Her and Alaric had known each other all of a week. He had shared one of his biggest secrets with her, and she had told him something that Caroline didn't even know about her. That didn't mean they shared some strong bond that went past the waking world. Or was even in the waking world itself.

"Do you even know what kind of dream Alaric had that night?"

"It wasn't a mutual dream, Caroline."

"Are you _sure_ though? Did you ask him?"

"No, but-"

"No buts! If you don't know what kind of dream he had, then for all we know, it was a mutual dream."

"Trust me, Care, I don't think he had the same dream as me." Alaric kept having nightmares of the night his girlfriend died. Why would he have the same crazy dream as her? Caroline's eyebrows shot up as she shook her head and continued searching on the computer. Elena knew the blonde didn't believe her.

"Okay then…let us see if we can just find a meaning behind that kinky dream of yours."

"Caroline!" Elena chided, looking around in embarrassment. The librarian gave her a disapproving look, indicating that Elena was being too loud. Caroline chuckled as Elena blushed a deep red and turned back to the computer screen.

What in the hell was her dream _supposed_ to mean? They had been in some fantasy-like world. There didn't seem to be anything symbolic about it. Nothing she could see right away at least. All that had made a huge impression on her was the fact that Alaric was there at all. She had never dreamed about her teacher before. Alaric and her had only met the first day of school. It was just a crush. That was all it was. It would go away soon enough.

No matter how much searching they did, nothing seemed to help Elena figure out what she was looking for. Caroline gave an exasperated moan, causing the librarian to give them yet another look. The girls dipped their heads in shame and continued conversing quietly.

"Have you thought of trying to have another dream like that?"

"Like, try and get back in that world?" Elena asked.

"Yea! You said you realized you were dreaming, right?"

"Yea."

"Then try again!"

"I don't know how! I haven't had that dream again since Friday night."

"Well…I would suggest finding out how," Caroline suggested, "because if you don't, you're never going to figure this out."

Elena nodded in agreement. "Okay…I'll try again when I go to bed tonight. We've been doing this all weekend, Caroline. Let's get out of here. I have class soon."

"Which reminds me," Caroline mused, "you owe me for getting up this early. On a Monday no less!"

Elena laughed, prompting the librarian to walk over toward them. Caroline and Elena shared a look before quickly grabbing their stuff and high-tailing it out of there. The girls went into a fit of giggles outside of the building. They hugged, saying their goodbyes to each other.

"Thanks for the help. I'll make up the early morning to you too, I promise."

"Good, because you're buying me lunch. See you later for English!" The bubbly blonde smiled before striding off to the dorm room. Elena shook her head and began walking to her Italian class. She needed to gather herself before History later.

* * *

"So you had a wet dream about your teacher?" Stefan asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Stefan!" Elena slapped him with her notebook.

"Ow! Abuse, Abuse!"

"You deserve it! I told you it wasn't that! I am disclosing very personal information to you."

"Well, that was your first mistake." She gave him another slap with her notebook.

"Okay, okay, I get it…not a wet dream."

Class had let out, and for once, Stefan was going to walk her to her next class. They still had about ten minutes to waste though, so they decided to sit in the student center for the time being. Elena had decided to divulge the secret that only Caroline knew about. He had basically had the same reaction as her.

"I don't know what it means, Stefan. Am I over-analyzing this?"

"Yes."

"Stefan!"

"Elena!" he mimicked. She narrowed her eyes. He finally gave in and allowed her a serious response.

"Dreams could mean a mess of things. It sounds like you dreamed up one hell of a world, but I don't know what it means for _you_. Only you can figure that out."

She sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Ask him."

"What?"

"Ask Alaric what he dreamed about. If you really want to know what kind of dream you had, and what it meant, you need to know if he had it too."

"I told you I don't think he would have the same one." Elena still refused to share Alaric's secret with anyone. She wasn't a blabbermouth.

"That's not a good enough reason not to ask. Just ask, and then you'll know if it was mutual, or just a really magnificent lucid dream."

"Alright…I'll figure out a way to find out."

"By asking, Elena. Just ask. Also, try to have that dream again tonight."

"I don't know about that."

"Why not?"

"I mean, now that you know, I might see you there this time!" She pretended to sound frightened. It was Stefan's turn to give her a dirty look. She chuckled, and that was enough to break his concentration, forcing him to laugh as well.

"You see, I have my own dreams to attend to," he confided, waggling his eyebrows to emphasize his point. She scrunched her nose up at the insinuation.

"Okay, I guess I deserve that for sharing so much with you."

"I'm not ashamed of my dreams," Stefan said smugly. Something about what he had said reminded her of what she had never gotten to ask him.

"Stefan, why do you want to be so quiet about your relationship with Klaus, but then were so blatant about it at the club that night?"

"We were at a club. People were either too drunk to notice, or too busy indulging in their own pleasures to care about whom I was with. It's not like that now, however, or any other time. People talk. I'm not ready for them to judge me because of who I love," he said solemnly. It was the first thing she could ever remember him being truly serious about. Elena furrowed her brows and put her hand over top of Stefan's hand.

"I don't judge you, and I never will," she said softly. He gave her a small grin, squeezing her hand in return.

"I know." That was all he said on the matter before getting up and offering her his hand. "Let's get you to class."

Elena smiled and took his hand. With that, they walked to where she had English. It was that moment she realized Stefan would be her friend long after college was over.

* * *

English was boring, as she had expected it to be. If Caroline weren't in there with her, she would have gone mad. At the end of class, the two girls got a quick lunch, one that Elena paid for, and then said goodbye to each other. Afterward, she made her way to the class she had been dreading since Friday morning.

She went as slow as she could, but still seemed to get there all too quick. To her relief, Alaric hadn't shown up yet. There was still fifteen minutes until class started, so at the same time, it didn't worry her that he hadn't gotten there yet. It was an unusual feeling to feel relief and worry at the same time.

Elijah, of course, was there, at his regular seat. No one else had shown up yet. She made her way to the back and took a seat beside him. He looked at her for a bit longer than was necessary. It made her squirm in her chair a bit. He chuckled and shook his head at her.

"Are you alright, Elena?" he asked, his tone showing his concern.

"Yea, I'm fine. Promise. Why do you ask?"

"You seem out of it today."

"It's Monday and I just got to class. No reason to panic," she laughed awkwardly.

He gave her an "I know that's not true" look, and she sighed, absentmindedly looking at the empty teacher's desk. Elijah looked between her and where her focus was. When realization finally hit, his reaction was calm, like he always was. However, it also showed that the connection he had just made left him kind of heartbroken. As if she couldn't feel any worse for liking her teacher. Elijah hid the emotion as quickly as it had arrived, and he let a small grin appear on his features.

"It makes sense. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. I think I was just hoping it wasn't true."

"Elijah, I-"

"Elena…it's okay. You can't help who you fall for."

"I haven't fallen for him though! Its just…I-I don't know what it is," she sighed, "I just don't know." Elijah patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Feelings are complicated. May I…offer some advice?"

"Of course."

"I'm not saying this because I have anything against Mr. Saltzman…but please, I would suggest not getting involved with him."

"Elijah, I know things didn't work out between-"

"Elena, I said I have nothing against the man. Please believe me when I say it is a bad idea. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be saying this."

She thought about what he said for a minute. His words seemed sincere, and there was no reason not to believe him. He hadn't lied to her so far, or at least, as far as she knew. It's not like he seemed the jealous type either. So, she nodded her head slowly.

"I believe you're being honest. Why shouldn't I… _consider_ things with him? Why are you warning me?"

"Because I do care about you, Elena," he said gently. She smiled.

"I care about you, Elijah. I need to know why you advise against it though. I trust you, but this time, I can't just take your word for it. I need a reason."

Elijah nodded hesitantly before continuing. "Will you meet me later today?"

"Just tell me now. Class hasn't started yet, he won't walk in." Elijah considered this for a minute before nodding.

"Elena, it's because he is a teacher."

"So what if he is? I'm legal, we're both adults."

"I realize that, but Elena, not here. Not this school. It's strictly forbidden."

"Could he lose his job over something like that?"

"Oh yes. Elena, I beg you, please meet me later this evening. I can tell you the whole story as to why you can't be with him. I think it important that you hear it." His eyes showed that he was dead serious. Elena had no choice but to agree to meet him. It might be interesting to learn why it would be such a big deal for her to date Alaric, or if it really was just Elijah. Everyone else seemed to be okay with her going for it. Why was he not? Besides the obvious reasons, that is.

That moment, a herd of students came wandering in, Alaric following close behind. Elena managed to catch his gaze as he looked to the class. It wasn't what she had hoped. Then again, what had she been hoping for? Fireworks? No, that was certainly not what she was getting. Not from the hurt look on his face. She felt this sinking feeling in her stomach as he turned back to his papers. What had she done? Who was she kidding? A note wasn't sufficient after everything he had shared with her. It had been a painful time for him to even recall the memory. Leaving had been a bad idea. She should have staid.

"Let's begin class. It's Monday and I know none of you are really paying attention anyway, so I'll try to make this as painless as possible."

Elena tried to listen the rest of class, but her head just wasn't in it. All she could think about was the look in his eyes when he walked in.

* * *

When Alaric finally released them, Elena knew what she had to do. She had to try and talk to him. She had to make it clear that she hadn't left him for anything he said or did. What would she say though? How was she supposed to say she had just had a dream about him?

Elena got up to leave, and Elijah touched her shoulder. She faced him, and he was giving her a silent warning. He knew she always talked to Alaric after class. Elena touched his hand.

"I'll see you later this evening," she reassured. He nodded and let go of her, walking out of the classroom, and leaving her and Alaric alone. She inhaled deeply, and walked to the front of the room. He was looking at something on his desk. What it was, she couldn't see. Elena walked cautiously over to stand beside him. He didn't once look up, but she knew he saw her. He had to.

"Alaric?"

Nothing. Now she knew for sure he was trying to ignore her. Oh god. She had really hurt him. How could she be so inconsiderate? She had been so scared that morning. Elena hadn't thought about what Alaric would feel like when he woke up and didn't see her there. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever for? You were here on time today."

"Alaric, about Saturday morning-"

"If you don't have a question about the lesson, or about the self defense classes, then I don't think there is anything in need of discussing."

"Wait, you'll still give me lessons?"

"Of course. I'm not just going to ditch you," he said coldly. Finally, he turned to face her, and she had wished he kept looking at whatever was on his desk. His face was not at all friendly. Yet, he smiled. Humorlessly, and not kindly, but it was there all the same. Maybe he should have just kept looking seriously at her. She steeled herself and continued.

"I. Am. _Sorry_. It wasn't my intention to cause any pain. Did you get my note?"

"Oh, yea. The note. I got it. How thoughtful of you to bother leaving one."

"I was serious!"

"What? 'Sorry, I forgot I had to be somewhere this morning. I'll see you in class.' I mean really? What the hell kind of message is that? It's the oldest excuse in the book! If you felt uncomfortable, you should have said something, not made up some lie to get out."

"Alaric, please…I'm sorry," Elena pleaded. He was getting angry and she didn't know how to calm him down or tell him what really happened.

"No, _I'm_ sorry for sharing so much with you. I had a weak moment, and it wasn't right of me to put so much on you."

"It wasn't that, I swear."

"It wasn't?" he asked in disbelief.

"No! I promise!"

"Then why did you just leave?"

"I don't know how to tell you."

"I'd say try…but who am I kidding? You don't owe me an explanation. However," he said as he got up and walked closer to her, " _grownups_ …have honest relationships. Whether you're just friends with someone, or more than that…you don't _lie_ and make up childish excuses."

Elena had had enough at this point. Her eyes narrowed as she stood her ground. She couldn't deny that she cared for Alaric, but she wasn't going to let him push her around. What she did had been wrong, but this just wasn't fair.

"I think you forget, _Mr. Saltzman_ , that I confided in you that night too. No one but my aunt and brother know about what happened to my parents. I'm sorry that I left that morning…but I had other things on my mind. And since we're talking about being a grown up, let's talk about what you were doing the night before school started. _Real_ grownups don't get smashed like that when they're expected to be in class the next day. Real adults are more professional," she said bitingly. Elena knew she sounded like the ultimate hypocrite, considering her past, but those times were behind her. She wasn't a teacher either.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Elena knew he had a class soon, and she didn't have that much time left with him. Her gaze went to his desk, and she tried not to begin shaking at what she saw.

"I didn't know you could draw," she said, a little dazed.

"What?" he asked, following her gaze to his desk. Alaric went to the table and picked up the piece of notebook paper and handed it to her.

"What are you-"

"Keep it. It's just a doodle."

"What's the picture of?" she asked. Elena knew the answer before she asked the question. It was of a white horse, with wings like an angel's. Alaric just shook his head.

"A horse with wings. Exactly what it looks like."

"It's beautiful," she said breathlessly.

"It's just a badly drawn picture. I don't even want it."

All the fight seemed to drain out of Elena at his words. She handed the drawing to him in an attempt to give it back.

"Are you sure? It's so pretty."

"Trust me, I don't want it anymore," he said, his voice trying it's best not to crack. She could have cried. One minute she wanted to rip his brains out, the next she wanted to hug him and never let go. What was wrong with her? What was she doing? Honestly, she knew then what she was feeling. Elena knew she didn't want to let him go. She wanted to try. And now he didn't.

"I have to go," she said quietly, putting the paper on his desk, "you should keep that. It looks great." She would talk to Elijah later, and figure out why it was she couldn't go after Alaric. These feelings had only been going on for a week, but something about them seemed too strong for her to ignore. She had to at least give them a chance and explore it.

Elena turned to walk out the door, but stopped just as she reached it. Her fingers drummed on the frame as she faced Alaric one last time.

"You know…if I had a horse like that…I'd name her Leonora."

She waited and watched as Alaric's face took on a shocked expression. It left quickly, and his cold appearance resurfaced. "I'll keep that in mind."

Elena nodded and walked out of the classroom and down the hall. That shocked look hadn't been on there for long, but it had been long enough. He had recognized the name. Alaric and her had shared that dream.


End file.
